Come and Explore my City.. Drive, Design and Connect in Banaras

Writing this post for a super interesting war of zones.. North v/s South v/s East v/s West.. As a true Indian, I believe that we all are Indians and it does not really matter where we come from.. But then, every state, every city, every place in India has its own charm that is unique in its own sense..

When you ask me to write for a particular zone, I really find it hard to choose one, I am a North Indian, my entire family stays in North, but write now I am staying in Maharashtra.. The love of my life is a hard core North Indian too, but she is also staying in Maharashtra.. I have spent my childhood in Varanasi, I am staying in Pune and I have spent the best days of my life in both Mumbai and Delhi.. When you talk of North and West, how can South lag behind.. I have completed my graduation in Kerala, God's own country and trust me, the place is beautiful, simply awesome.. I still miss it a lot.. I have spent a lot of time in the roads of West Bengal on an official trip..It was a learning phase for me.. Clearly, each so-called zone has contributed in making me who I am today..I feel thankful to God that I was born in this country and I could explore so many states of this beautiful country..

Before I begin with the post about my favorite city, I would like my readers to visit this link, for all Tata Motors and Lionel Messi fans, do check out the website, you can not afford to miss this..

Guys, no matter where you go, no matter whom you meet, whom you dislike and whom you fall in love with.. there is a place that defines you, the place where you belong- your hometown. Yes, my post is for Varanasi (Banaras). Even if I travel the whole world, I would never forget this city and what it means to me, for it is my birthplace, for I was born in this city and my childhood memories belong to the streets of this amazing city called Kashi/Banaras/Varanasi/Shivnagri (I love to call it Banaras only)

Coming to the tile, Drive Design and Connect, for all those who must be wondering about the logic and connection between these three words and Banaras, let me tell you.. this city actually drives you, drives your inner conscience.. Right from the ghaats to the aarti, this place is a synonym to spirituality.. Yet, it symbolizes all materialistic desires and attachments of all human beings..Everything can be seen as a long journey, a tour of whatever happens between life and death..Yes, if you have watched the movie Masaan, its tag line says, "A celebration of life and death and everything in between".. There could not have been a better description of this city.. and that is how it drives you, to move ahead, to celebrate life..

When you think of the word design, let me tell you the four famous things about Banaras.. ghaats, paan, saree and temples..The ghaats are simply wonderful and give you a blissful and calm feeling, so do the temples.. All these places have a historical significance.. Banarasi Saree and Banarasi Paan are really famous all over the world..All you need to do is to sit back and observe.. Everything about the city, even the narrow streets have a uniqueness, have creativity and this is why this city inspires you to design..

Towards the end, they may say that metro cities like Mumbai are cosmopolitan, but if you really want to witness people who are actually connected to each other, with love, compassion, tolerance and unity.. This city, its people, its aarti, its ghaats, everything has a wonderful feel that connects you to it with something that you will not forget in a lifetime..

I guess whatever I wrote was not even five per cent of what all I can say.. To sum up, I would request all readers to visit this city once..You will love it..Trust me..

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Ahmad

The Sugar Free Dessert Challenge : Karachi Halwa

I am a real foodie..and when you talk about sweets..I simply can not resist them..If you ask me about my favorite sweet dish, I really won't be able to name one..Right from sheer khurma by my Ammi during Eid to Gulab Jamun.. Right from shahee tukda that we usually have for iftaar to caramel custards and sizzling brownies..everything is really mouth watering..

I have always enjoyed helping out Ammi when she cooks..I know how to make most of the sweet dishes..I love eating them all, but there is one sweet dish that I simply adore only because of the way it looks, the way it glitters and shines and its different shapes and sizes..Yes, the title says it all. I am talking about Karachi Halwa..

Karachi Halwa is traditionally made in orange, red, saffron or yellow color. My favorite color is yellow, so when I make it, it has to be a bright yellow colored Karachi Halwa only.

Without much ado, let's begin with the recipe.

Ingredients :-

Corn flour : half cup
Sugar Free : One and a half cups
Water : Two and a half cups
Ghee : one-fourth cup
Cashew nuts : one-fourth cup
Cardamom Powder
Soaked almonds (optional)
A pinch of food color (yellow color for my recipe :-D)

[Note : The cashew nuts must be finely chopped and the soaked almonds must be peeled off and finely crushed/chopped. ]

Method :

1. Take corn fluor and one and a half cups of water in a bowl and mix both of them. Whip them continuously and make sure that there are no lumps in the mixture at all.

2. Add food color to the whipped mixture of corn fluor and water and keep them aside.

3. Take a non stick pan and saute the finely chopped cashew nuts/soaked almonds in two tablespoons of oil till they become light brown. Keep them aside.

4. Now its time to prepare my favorite part- chaashni. For preparing chaashni, take sugar free and one cup of water in a non stick pan and boil it till the sugar free completely dissolves and the mixture becomes sticky enough.

5. Add the cornflour mixture to the chaashni and start stirring continuously on low flame. Once again, make sure that no lumps are formed.

6. It will start thickening and having a glossy texture. Just when you notice the thick halwa like texture, add ghee and stir again.

7. Once it starts to leave the sides of the pan, add cashew nuts and almonds that were kept aside.

8. Take a plate and grease it with ghee. Add this mixture to the plate and let it set itself. This will take between half an hour to one hour.

9. You can finally cut it into any desired shape. My favorite shape is the heart shape, which may look like a difficult shape, but looks really classy and presentable.

And our Karachi Halwa is ready!! Take a look!

Hope you enjoyed the recipe.

Thanks to sugar free, we can now enjoy all our favorite sweet dishes. Do check out this link for more details.

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Ahmad