Top 8 foods to try when in India

1. Thali

The Indian Thali. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Thali is not a dish in itself but it is a combo of meals which comprises of a sweet dish, two or more curries, dal (lentils), usually steamed rice, pickle, puri/naan/chapatti (one of these Indian breads), papad (poppadoms), butter milk, one raita, one or more chutneys, and more or less depending upon whether you opt for the north Indian thali or south Indian thali and also the place you eat.

Thali, according to me is the best way to relish Indian meals as you get to taste a variety of dishes in one go and the added advantage of this is you pay less and taste more. In this concept of thali you need not order different dishes for one person and end up wasting more food and also spending more money. Just order a thali and you are done, no side dishes, no dessert…just the thali (by the way thali means plate, in this case, its means a thali or plateful of food).

 2. Dam Aloo

Dam Aloo

It is a side dish prepared with the so called baby aloos (potatoes) which are simmered in the gravy prepared with tomatoes, onions and variety of spices. It goes will with rice or nan breads. If you love curries, you’ll love the dam aloo.

3. Stuffed Paratha

Stuffed Parathas. Source: Wikimedia Creative Commons

Stuffed parathas are a kind of Indian bread which are made of either whole wheat flour or white flour and stuffed with a variety of stuffings. The stuffings can be potatoes, cauliflower, cabbage, paneer (cottage cheese), and any other vegetables that you can think of.

4. Paalak Paneer or Sag Paneer

Palak Paneer: Source: lambdageek’s photostream

Paalak means spinach and paneer means cottage cheese. Cottage cheese is either boiled in salt water or pan fried a little and added to spinach gravy. The spinach gravy is prepared by blending the slightly boiled palak along with ginger, garlic, green chilli and onion.

5. Samosa

Samosas

This is one of the favourite snacks of every Indian! You can’t come to India and not try the somosas out. It is a deep fried snack prepared by rolling the dough of white flour and then filling it with the mixture made of potatoes, green peas, garam masala, onions, chilli powder, fennel and salt. You’ll love it.

6. Chole Batura

The Chole Batura

Chole batura can either be your breakfast, lunch, evening snack or dinner. Yes, you read it right. That is the beauty of this dish. Though it is a heavy meal, Indians do not hesitate to relish the flavours of chole batura any time of the day. Baturas are deep fried round Indian breads made of white flour. Chole is the side dish prepared with chick peas.

7. Biryani

Biryani

Birayani takes many forms and can be vegetable biryani or non-vegetarian. Either way, it is a dish you must give a shot. It is a rice preparation served with raita (yogurt with onions and shredded salad mainly cumumber).

8. Masala Dosa

Masala Dosa

It is form of thin pan cake prepared with the batter which is fermented over night. The batter is made of rice and white lentil (something called the udad dal). It is severed with potatoes, chutney and sambar.

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5 Healthy Fast – Food Meals for Kids

Soccer in 20 minutes? Marching band in 30? Shuttling kids between doctor appointments, play dates, and music lessons sometimes means everybody’s gotta eat on the run or not at all. That’s when your no-fast-food promise to yourself usually flies out the car window. No worries. A now-and-then fast-food meal can be had without a humongous overload of fat, sugar, sodium, and empty calories. We promise.

The trouble with most pit-stop food isn’t just the fat, salt, and calories. It’s what’s missing. Think about it. When was the last time you had a meal to go that included whole grains, fruit, and vegetables? In a recent survey of 3,000 children’s meals at chain restaurants, over 95% didn’t meet the basic nutritional guidelines for preschool and school-aged kids.

But the good stuff’s out there if you pause for a moment and order smart. One caveat: Excess sodium seems to be a fast-food given. Even in kids’ meals, sodium may amount to nearly half or more of their daily limit. So watch how much salt they are eating throughout the day, knowing they’re likely to get more than you like when eating on the run.

Here are six busy-night dinner options that give kids food they like and nutrition they need, minus the junk. They’re listed in order, starting with the healthiest.

1. Subway: Roast Beef Kids Meal; the sandwich (hold the cheese) on whole-wheat bread; apple slices; 100% juice
Calories: 335 (9 from sat fat); sodium: 515; healthy stuff: whole grains, fruit, calcium

2. Burger King: Kids macaroni and cheese, apple fries (skip the caramel sauce), fat-free milk
Calories: 285 (14 from sat fat); sodium: 490 mg; healthy stuff: calcium, fruit

3. KFC: Grilled chicken drumstick, corn on the cob, unsweetened tea, string cheese
Calories: 270 (23 from sat fat); sodium: 545 mg ; healthy stuff: vegetables, calcium

4. Sonic: Corn dog, apple slices, low-fat milk
Calories: 355 (45 from sat fat); sodium: 660 mg ; healthy stuff: fruit, calcium

5. McDonald’s: Plain hamburger, apple dippers (without the caramel sauce), low-fat milk
Calories: 385 (45 from sat fat); sodium: 645 mg ; healthy stuff: fruit, calcium

9 Top Food Choices for a Healthy Heart

(NaturalNews) When it comes to eating for good health, choosing foods for heart health should be at the top of the list. The heart is the organ that literally keeps us going – delivering nutrients, oxygen and disease fighters throughout the body. Cardiovascular disease also happens to be the leading cause of death in the U.S., ranking just ahead of cancer.

There are several foods which can help give us a healthy heart and cardiovascular system – especially if they are chosen in their healthiest whole food forms. Instead of processed foods found on grocers’ shelves, choose fresh whole foods which you can eat with little or no processing and cooking. Certified organic whole foods are the best choice of all.

Cayenne pepper

Cayenne has been called “the king of herbs” for good reason, and that is especially true when it comes to heart health. It is loaded with antioxidants and other valuable compounds which help protect the heart and arteries.

As the famed herbal healer Dr. Shulze said, “If you master only one herb in your life, master cayenne pepper. It is more powerful than any other.”

Top 7 Chinese Food Restaurants in Shanghai

1 Dynasty

Dynasty is known as one of Shanghai’s top Cantonese restaurants with centuries-old history. It boasts the some high level chefs who often serve the visiting heads of stated at special banquets. For their expertise, you can enjoy delicate and a little insipidity cate. Perenial favorite include You Bao Xia (shrimp boiled in hot oil), Xia Jiao (shrimp dumpling), Suanni Bairou (garlic plain boiled pork) and so on. Meanwhile, the regular Koto play here also adds some feeling to the elegant atmosphere.

Cuisine: Cantonese, Dim Sum
Hours: 11:00-14:30; 18:00-22:30
Location: Hongqiao Development Zone
Address: 3/F, Renaissance Yangtze Shanghai Hotel, No. 2099, West Yan’an Rd., Changning District
Phone: 021-62750000 ext. 2230
Reservations: Required
Credit Cards: AMEX, Dinners Club, Master, Visa

2 Lao Tan

If you would like try some Guizhou cuisine at Shanghai, then Lao Tan is your best choice. Located at the Xingfu Road, Lao Tan has the barn-like dinning room where the modern are and broken pottery decorate the walls of eatery. Highly recommended are mouthwatering chicken and sour fish soup, especially their spicy and pepper even can rival the spiciest Sichuan cuisine.

Cuisine: Guizhou
Hours: 11:30-22:30
Location: Hongqiao Development Zone
Address: 2/F, (1 block east of Fanyu Rd.), No. 42, Xingfu Rd., Changning District
Phone: 021-62837843
Reservations: Highly Recommended
Credit Cards: Not Accepted

3 Da Jia Cun Restaurant

This elegant and award-winning restaurant in Shanghai, People on the Water, boasts of fresh seafood from Ningbo, possessing of has blue hues, flowing water, glass bridge and tanks of fresh fish. Here the menu favorite include deep fried crab with sinfully thick roe, steamed snow cabbage with yellow fish, clams on sizzling plate and shrimp with crispy seaweed. Table service is stylish and impeccable. And it is required to reserve ahead of time.

Cuisine: Ningbo, Seafood
Hours: 11:00-14:30;17:30-22:30
Address: Lower Lobby (basement of the Hilton Hotel), No.250, Huashan Rd.,Jing’an District
Phone: 021-62487777 ext. 1830
Transportation: Metro: Jing’an Temple
Credit Cards: AMEX, Dinners Club, Master, Visa

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