Food - Best Places of Interest

May 28, 2019 Food

Have you had the spiciest food in India?

Don’t bother skimming through this list of the spiciest dishes of India if you don’t have the hots for the hot.

1. Phaal Curry

It’s not everyday that chefs wear gas masks while whipping up a dish. But when they do the dish in question has to be Phaal curry. Made from Bhut Jolokia, the hottest chilli in the world, Phaal holds the distinction of being the hottest curry in the world. Even daredevils may ‘phaal’ after downing this one.

spiciest food, Phaal Curry — Source: blogspot

2. Pork Vindaloo

My grandma says that the longer you keep that murraba bottled up, the better it tastes. Google says that the same principle works for Pork Vindaloo. Apparently, the meat gets properly marinated and tastes better the next day. I don’t know what difference it makes because the dish is so hot that it feels like shovelling lava balls into your mouth.

spiciest food, Pork Vindaloo — Source: flickr

3. Kozhi Curry

If you have a thing for spicy food and that Syrian Catholic girl, think no further. Marry her. Chances are that you’ll find spicy chicken curry on your plate for most days of your life. An integral part of the Syrian Catholic Community of Kerala, the spiciest curry in India will take your taste buds for one helluva ride.

Kozhi curry, spiciest food — Source: akilaskitchen

4. Chilli Beef

It takes a real Malayalee to polish off a plate of chilli beef without feeling the heat. For others, it can be quite a fiery rendezvous. From the tongue, the palate, the food pipe, the tracts… it’s as if the Ghost Rider’s blazing down through your system… charring down everything in his way. I’m surprised Malayalees still exist in Maharashtra. #BeefBan

Chilli beef, spiciest food — Source: recipesaresimple

5. Chicken 65

According to popular belief, this delicacy was the 65th item in a menu at a military canteen in South India and hence the name. Going by the food orgasm it evokes, this delicacy should have been named chicken 69. Though I wonder what happened to uthapam 73, payasam 17 and idli 23?

6. Bhut Jolokia Curries and Chutneys

The next time you take out your backstabbing colleague out for a treat make sure you heavily tip the chef so that he’s generous with the use of Bhut Jolokia in your colleague’s dish. You won’t have to stand the sight of him/her for at least a week.

PS – The government of India has used Bhut Jolokia grenades to safely immobilize terrorists.

spiciest food, Bhut Jolokia curries — Source: ibnlive

7. Andhra Chilli Chicken

The people of Andhra know how to do justice to a name and how. This recipe has chilli written all over it. Before marinating and simmering the chicken in green chilli paste, the chicken is killed by force-feeding it green chillies. I need no further convincing about Andhra being the largest producer of green chillies in India.

Andhra Chilli chicken, spiciest food — Source: photobucket

8. Kolhapuri Chicken

There’s more to Kolhapur than Kolhapuri silks, Kolhapuri chappals ..it’s the Kolhapuri Chicken. Keep a bowl of rasgulla handy before you sink your fangs into this fiery piece of chicken.

Kolhapuri Chicken, spiciest food — Source: tastyappetite

9. Madras Curry

The sight of meatballs swimming in a bowl of red-coloured sauce is every spicy-food lover’s delight. If you don’t mind the consequential runny nose, watery eyes and sweaty brow, then this one’s a pure delight. Shouldn’t they be changing its name to Chennai Curry? Just saying.

10. Misal

Primarily consisting of a combination of the spiciest dry red chillies, green chillies and black pepper powder, the heat level of this popular roadside delicacy can range from ‘mildly hot’ to ‘shove a fire extinguisher in my mouth hot’. Burn baby burn!

11. Chicken Chettinad

They say that chillies unleash endorphins which in turn make you happy. For me though, a mere mention of Chicken Chettinad does the trick. This cuisine from Tamil Nadu is one of the spiciest and aromatic cuisines in India. Apart from a satiated appetite, it also leaves you with a scorched tongue.

12. Stuffed Pepper

Stuffed Pepper is sometimes called comfort food. But it doesn’t take long for this pepper to jolt you out of your comfort zone. Have this side dish in excess and you end up writhing on the floor.

Stuffed pepper, spiciest food — Source: bettycrocker

13. Laal Maans

You won’t be able to savour this fiery mutton curry from Rajasthan for long because the chillies won’t allow you to. Statutory warning – The spices could sear off a quarter of your taste buds.

14. Kashmiri Chicken

What do you do to experience a piece of ‘Paradise on Earth’ sitting in the scorching heat of Delhi? Simple. Just order a plate of Kashmiri Chicken. Although there are other spicier treats that you can lay your hands on, what sets this one apart from the rest is the tinge of sweetness. Sweet!

15. Saoji Chicken Curry

This hot delicacy comes from one of the hottest cities in India, Nagpur. Saoji Chicken Curry is a rich amalgamation of the hottest spices you can think of. My advice to you before you dig into this mouth-numbing spicy treat – brace for impact!

Saoji Chicken curry, spiciest food — Post Courtesy: Scoopwhoop

~ Amit Purohit, Digital Marketer (2016-present)

Exotic and spicy Saoji food from Nagpur has a distinctive taste that has made its place in every nagpurian’s life. The cuisine also called Saoji Waradi/Saoji Chicken/Saoji Mutton is famous for its hot flavours. Its irresistible taste gets into your mind and soul once you taste this food. It is a must try for all spicy food lovers and those who try will surely get addicted to its taste. The special ingredients used in the preparation of curry for Saoji food include poppy seeds (Khus-Khus), powdered coconut, black pepper, dry coriander, bay leaves, grey cardamom, cinnamon, cloves etc.

Saoji food is gravy dish mainly prepared as non-vegetarian chicken and mutton dish; one can also prepare vegetarian dishes using the same saoji gravy/curry. The vegetarians can enjoy Potato, Paneer or Soya Chunk dishes in the Saoji Curry to relish its authentic taste(however non-veg is highly recommended).
The best thing about Saoji food, although being very spicy, is not harmful to the body and does not lead to any digestive problems, as the process of cooking has been modified to overcome any health problems.(Seriously none problems at all)

~ Rutvick Pedamkar, Add Spice To Food Adds Spice To Life.

Have you had the spiciest food in India? If yes, how was your experience?

10 Appetizing Trends in Confectionery Packaging

The packaging is the essential element of any product as it provides protection to the product from any external damage and presents it beautifully to the buyers. Due to this, every market from confectionary to toys, and from food products to daily use products, focus on creating an appealing package for their product.

The need for effective packaging is more significant in confectionary products because the flavour and aroma need to be protected. Furthermore, confectionary packaging also helps in providing the healthy and hygienic end product to the customers.

Along with all of this, the most attracting confectionary packaging seduces the taste buds of viewers, especially kids who already love candies and chocolates! In this way, it boosts the sale of the products as well.

Due to its so many benefits, confectionary manufacturers follow various packaging trends to make their product appetizing.

Let’s have a look at top 10 confectionary packaging trends:

A Special Focus on Aesthetics and Design:

With the aim to attract more consumers, confectionary companies are focusing on the aesthetics and design elements of the packaging. Yes, a packet is no more a mere protection layer, but it is a tool to market the product and communicate with the buyers.

This is the main reason why you can easily find attractive designs, innovative aesthetics and unique texts on your sweets packet. Confectionary products like candies, lollipops and chocolates focus more on such things to attract kids.

2. Sustainable Packaging is Stealing the Limelight:

As people are becoming more familiar with their duty to save the environment, they have become more inclined towards sustainable and environment-friendly packaging. In such a scenario, confectionary brands are moving towards plastic-free sustainable packages.

Big companies like Nestle are substituting the plastic straws with paper and more biodegradable alternatives. Like this, many prominent companies are moving to either paper-based or recycle-able ways of packaging.

3. Single-Serving Packaging Fulfils Everyone’s Dream:

People who avoid taking sugar-based products for maintaining their diet plan can now have a taste of it! The single-serve packaging is making it easy for people to buy confectionaries that contain only a bite or one piece of the product.

These packets are helping such people in controlling their sweet cravings. Moreover, kids who can’t keep their hands off the chocolate packet after opening it can be satisfied as they eat the entire product from a single-serve packet!

4. Mini-Sized Packaging for a Healthy Lifestyle:

Mini-sized packets are much similar to the single-serve trend. The basic difference is that some confectionery products can be separated for single packages, while others can’t. For example, a big muffin or a big pastry won’t fulfil the health purpose of single-serve packaging.

So, such product manufacturers are launching mini versions of the same products which health-conscious people can eat in one go without much calories intake.

5. Stir and Eat Packaging is Customers’ Favourite:

Confectionary products that contain moist and crunchy ingredients are moving towards stir and eat packaging. This type of packaging allows them to keep the wet and dry ingredients of the product separate until a person mixes it to eat.

These packages also attract kids as they love to do something different rather than just opening a packet and eating the product.

6. Multi-Unit Packaging for Sharing Buddies:

Multi-unit packaging is also in the trend as it is perfect for people who avoid visiting the markets on a regular basis. These packets contain many small packets of the same product such as lollipops, chocolates, wafer biscuits etc.

Multi-unit packages are ideal for sharing, and buyers can also save some amount by buying a single bulk packet instead of small ones. Mostly, all the confectionary brands have launched multi-unit packages for storing purposes.

7. Easy to Open Convenience Packaging:

Packages that are convenient to open and store the product for future consumption are considered best among the customers. People are so busy in their life that they find 3-4 layer packaging quite annoying to open especially when they are feeling hungry or in a hurry.

So, confectionary companies are launching easy to open packages that even kids can open without any extra efforts. Plastic stand-up pouches are one such example. They are lightweight as well as easy to open and use.

8. Reseal-able and Portable Packages Cut the Struggle:

Usually, confectionary products like sweets contain a syrupy substance which makes it quite difficult for people to carry them outside their house. This becomes a much bigger problem, especially when the packet or box is opened once. Considering this, many confectionary manufacturing companies are moving to this packaging trend.

The packets which are re-closable and easily portable are gaining popularity nowadays. You can find many packets that can be resealed with Velcro, zippers etc. People can easily carry such packets to their workplace or kids can take them to school without any mess.

9. Health-Focused Messages on the Front-of-Pack:

People check the amount of glutton, fats and other health-related elements before buying confectionaries. People are interested in knowing “what is not added in the product” more than “what is added in the product”. That’s why companies are adding this health-related information on the front of the pack to gain more attention.

You must have seen messages like “100% glutton free” on the front of many confectionary packaging. This is done mainly to highlight that healthy aspect of the product to gain more health-conscious customers.

10. Box Packaging for Serving Gifting Purposes:

Many confectionaries manufacturers also launch big beautiful boxes that contain a few products from their company. These boxes are specially designed for gifting purposes. You have seen many boxes of famous companies like Cadbury, Haldirams etc. during the festive season.

The trend of these packages in the confectionery market is very strong because sweets and other such products are mainly exchanged by people on festivals like Diwali, Holi, Eid, Christmas etc. So, innovative boxes containing varied items are produced by all the big companies to gain benefits of the festive season.

March 27, 2019 Food, Lifestyle

IS BEER GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH?

Beer contains a lot of nutritional value because of the hops and barley present in it. Drinking it in low to moderate quantities will definitely have some positive effects on health.

Health benefits of beer:

Prevents cancer
- Being a rich source of flavonoids plays a major role in the chemoprevention of cancer. According to a study, it is also a good source of polyphenols, due to the grains used for fermentation which has been proven effective in fighting cancer.
Loaded with Vitamins
- Beer increases your vitamin B levels. Beer contains several B vitamins (B1, B2, B6, and B12).
- Vitamin B6 present in beer prevents a build-up of homocysteine, which is responsible for heart disease.
- Beer is also a generous source of vitamin B12 and folic acid, an anti-anemic factor not found in many foods.
Beer can increase your vitamin B levels. Beer contains several B vitamins (B1, B2, B6, and B12). A Dutch study found that beer drinkers had 30 percent higher levels of vitamin B6 than their non-drinking counterparts, and levels that were twice as high as those of wine drinkers. Beer is also a generous source of vitamin B12, an anti-anemic factor not found in many foods.

Protects heart
- Beer helps prevent blood clots.
- Studies have shown that low consumption of beer lowers bad cholesterol.
- Beer reduces the risk of a heart attack. A study has shown that beer drinkers have a 40 to 60 percent reduced risk of suffering a heart attack compared with non-beer drinkers.
- Beer reduces blood pressure.
Gallstones and Kidney stones
- Regular moderate consumption of beer decreases the bile concentration thus, preventing the risk of gallstone.
- Also, it keeps your kidney healthy. It reduces the risk of developing kidney stones and even works as a treatment for the same.
Aids in digestion
- Beer contains soluble fibers and possesses various digestive properties which include the stimulation of gastrin, gastric acid, cholecystokinin, and pancreatic enzymes helping intestinal transit.

Bone density
- Elevated levels of silicon in beer contribute to bone density thus, preventing the risk of osteoporosis and it also makes the bone strong thus reducing the risk of fracture. Beer for stronger bones! A 2009 study concluded that the elevated levels of silicon in beer can contribute to higher bone density.

Breakfast: Eat like a king

Adelle Davis, the woman who first pioneered the first ideas of nutrition said – Breakfast like a King; Lunch like a Prince and Dinner like a Pauper. Today after so many years, the entire world of health and nutrition have come to the common consensus that – breakfast is the most important meal of the day and we all should start this meal as a king. It is because, all through the day whatever comes our way, we will be at our royal best tackling all.

Eating a healthy and nutritious breakfast in the morning and one which includes proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and other nutrients is the most crucial needs of the overall health and functionality of our body. Wherein, proteins help build muscles and make them strong, carbohydrates provide the body with the fuel it needs to run throughout the day, vitamins and other nutrients like calcium helps develop stronger bones and improves our mental alertness.

Why is breakfast so important?

As the name suggests – breakfast means breaking fast after a long night without food. The gap between the two meals – dinner and breakfast, is the longest – more than almost 10 to 12 hours. Breakfast is the meal that you have for the first time after the day starts and you are having something to eat after a long period.

Breakfast kick starts the metabolism and helps burn calories throughout the day, which means that it helps losing weight also. It helps to stay focused and provides the body with the much-needed energy it needs to function optimally.

Healthy breakfast Muesli- Pixabay — Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

Having a breakfast like a king can bring about a great change in our body and thereby our life. When you skip your breakfast and starve yourself, your body enters the defence mode and start conserving the energy and throws the body into slower metabolic process. This further affects the calorie burning process of the body causing weight gain.

Here are some importance of having a breakfast and having it like a king:

It helps improving our performance

The body gets energy deficient and dehydrated after a long night sleep. With a healthy breakfast, get to re-energize the body. After we have had breakfast, the body gets its essential nutrients. you could easily make out that your cognitive functions have improved like concentration, focus, speed and problem-solving skills.

Re-energises the body -breakfast — Image by Ryan McGuire from Pixabay

It prevents from gaining weight

Most of the time, people think that skipping their breakfasts can help them consume lesser calories. On the contrary, breakfast helps in consuming lesser calories by keeping you full throughout the day and preventing you from overeating during meals. The foods you eat during breakfast provides the body with essential nutrients that is stored in the body as energy and makes you feel productive during the day.

It makes you feel energized

It is quite simple – you eat you feel good and you do not eat and you would not feel so good, and this applies to breakfast also. Breakfast happens to be the first meal of the day, and you are having something to eat after almost 8 to 10 hours of gap. Our body need energy to function properly and this energy comes from the food that we eat. So, when we eat in the morning, it kick starts our body’s energy and makes us ready for the day to come.

Healthy breakfast recipe- Breakfast salad — **Healthy breakfast recipes**

It benefits the skin

We know that eggs, lean proteins, fruits and nuts are an intricate part of a healthy breakfast. All of these foods are enriched with the goodness of vitamin A and D and lutein – that helps maintain healthy and glowing skin.