The Brunette Diaries

The Kukkad Soup AKA Chicken Soup

‘Bhai, Chicken toh hoga na?’

This question has popped up innumerable times on various occasions because we Indians just love Chicken!!

Indian Chicken recipes with masalas have a huge fan base both because of their protein content and their taste! Keep a platter of tandoori chicken and people will devour it within minutes. That’s the power of chicken! But again, not all chicken recipes are healthy enough to be consumed on a daily basis.

So, we bring to you ‘The Kukkad Soup’ aka Chicken Broth in our own Jugaadu way!

Many of you must be wondering, ‘’Yaar, Healthy ke naam par bland and tasteless hoga!’. That was our reaction too but when we actually tried it, it was far from being bland and tasteless. In fact, it was delectable! Compliment this soup with multigrain bread or a salad and you have a wholesome meal ready.

To make the kukkad soup at home, just follow the simple steps mentioned below:

Steps

– To make this hearty soup, first put a large pan on medium flame. Add and melt 1 tablespoon butter in it.

– Once the butter melts add in 1 pod of garlic and 2 spring onions, finely chopped.

– Saute the mix on a low flame till it turns light brown. Then add the chicken meat and let it fry till the meat turns golden brown.

– Meanwhile, boil 6 cups of water in a heavy-bottomed pan on high flame. Once done, transfer the boiling water to the pan and let the meat get cooked and allow its juices to get released into the soup.

– Once cooked, strain the soup into a big bowl or pan and remove the fat from it after cooling it and straining it again

-Put the pan on medium flame again and add the soup into it. Break and separate 2 egg whites into a bowl. Now slowly pour the egg whites in a thin stream to the soup while stirring continuously

– Season the soup with salt and black pepper and allow it to boil again for 2 minutes.

– Turn off the heat and strain the soup one last time. Garnish it with chopped celery or coriander and voila! Our kukkad soup is ready to be served.

And we are sure, after eating this you’ll be singing,

‘Yeh Toh Kukkad Kamal Da’

Kimchi- The Korean Powerhouse

Kimchi is a traditional Korean dish. One will find big jars of kimchi in every Korean household. The dish is made up of napa cabbage (a variety of cabbages) and Korean radish along with other fermented and salted vegetables and topped with chili powder and fish sauce.

Many Indians eat it in the form of salad sans the fish sauce and it is considered a vegetarian probiotic food. Kimchi is rich in vitamins A and C. Due to its fermentation process, it is also rich in gut boosting lactobacilli bacteria.

So in case, you are bored of eating your regular salads, why not try kimchi for a change? Its tangy flavor is sure to have a lingering effect on your taste buds.

Steps to make Kimchi

– Shred the cabbage finely, chop the green onions along with garlic cloves and ginger. Add the onions and cabbage in a large bowl. Take a separate bowl, add vinegar, red chilli powder, soy sauce and powdered sugar. Mix it well and then transfer this in a blender jar. Blend it well.

– Now, add the chopped garlic, ginger along with olive oil in the blender. Blend it well and add salt and black pepper in it. Blend it again and once done, add this dressing over the shredded cabbage and onions. Toss it well. Cover it with a cling film and place the bowl in the fridge.

Serve it chilled to enjoy!

A Healthy Detox Drink To Boost Your Immunity

Staying healthy is something that has top priority in everyone’s lives. Especially during these trying times. Health is something we all treasure.

The Coronaviruses is currently gripping the world and during this time it is essential to keep one’s self hydrated with adequate water. And what’s better than a detox water! Detox water is water that has been infused with the flavors of fresh fruits, vegetables or herbs.

Check out this Orange Beetroot Mint and Cinnamon Detox to stay healthy during the coronavirus outbreak.

Method:
For Decoration

Grate fresh ginger and fresh turmeric (in case no fresh turmeric available use powder)
Boil in water together with cinnamon stick
Reduce and keep aside
Allow to cool down

For Juice

Wash together carrot, beetroot and oranges
Wash fresh mint leave and keep aside
Take out fresh juice of these ingredients
Mix together decoction and fresh juice

Enjoy the healthy detox drink at room temperature with no need to add salt or sugar. This detox drink is full of vitamin c and is power packed immunity booster.

Stay updated with more such recipes only on The Brunette Diaries.

Strawberry Cake – A Yummy-licious Bake

We all love cakes. For any special occasion be it a birthday, anniversary or even as an appreciation – cake is always part of the menu. But why should we always hop to the nearest – or our favourite – confectionery and purchase a cake? Let make the occasion even more special by baking the sweet dessert ourselves.

To help you, here a tasty, eggless recipe to a yummy strawberry cake

Ingredients:

Egg-free philsberry (sponge premix)————–300gm
Water—————————————————150gm
Whipped cream————————————-200gm
Fresh Strawberry ———————————-250gm (for topping)
Chopped strawberry——————————100gm
Rosted Almond slice————————————–50gm

Method

1. Mix egg-free premix and water together and whisk it properly until making a smooth batter.
2. Line the cake mould with butter and pour the mixture and bake it 180c to 15min.
3. Check with a knife if the sponge cake is done de-mould from mould and keep it for cooling.
4. After cooling cut this sponge in three equal parts, layer the sponge with chopped strawberry and whipped cream.
5. Mask the cake with whipped cream, and arrange fresh strawberry on top.
6. Coved all the side of cake with roasted almond and serve.

For more such yummy recipes, stay tuned to The Brunette Diaries

Iftaar Special | Mutton Shami Kebabs

The Holy month of Ramadan is here and we are seriously missing the yummy street food we are treated to at this time!

We bet, if we weren’t in quarantine we would be hitting the streets to indulge in some mouthwatering Iftaar snacks. Keeping in mind the love we have for these appetizing Muslim delicacies, we bring you a recipe you can try at home.

Follow these steps and treat yourself and family to some yummy mutton shami kebabs. Check out the recipe here:

Ingredients-

•   500 grams Boneless Mutton
•   1 cup chana dal
•   ½ teaspoon Turmeric/powder
•   10 cloves garlic
•   2 inch Ginger
•   3 green chillies finely chopped
•   ¼ pecans finely chopped
•   3 spring mint leaves/pudina
•   Salt as required
•   Oil as needed

Whole Spices:

•   4 Red Chillies
•   1 teaspoon black pepper powder
•   5 Cloves
•   ½ inch cinnamon stick
•   2 Cardamom
•   ½ teaspoon shahi jeera
•   2 black cardamom

Recipe:

1. Wash and soak chana dal for minimum 1-2 hours.

2. Wash mutton pieces nicely and pressure cook it with soaked chana dal, turmeric powder, salt ginger, garlic and whole spices.

3. Once the mutton is done, pass it through a strainer and collect the stock in a separate bowl. (This stock can later be used to make any mutton curry.)

4. Grind the cooled mutton and dal to make a fine dough. (The dough may look fibrous because of the meat.)

5. Add finely chopped onion, chopped green chillies, chopped mint and coriander and mix nicely till everything incorporates well.

6. Heat a wide pan and grease it with 1-2 tablespoon oil.

7. Pinch a lemon sized ball from the mutton mix and flatten it to shape a round disk.

8. Similarly make rest of the kebabs and shallow fry from both sides in a wide pan till they turn dark brown.

9. Serve with onion rings, lemon and dhaniya pudina chutney.

Let’s Celebrate World Food Day!

Telling you guys about the different types of food across nation or around globe would be exciting. But, will that add any value to this day? Do most of you know the real reason why 16th October is celebrated as World Food Day?

It’s an annual celebration in the honor of the founding date of the Food and Agriculture Organization launched by the United Nations in the year 1945. World Food Day is celebrated widely with great enthusiasm by several other organizations which are concerned with food security such as the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the World Food Program, and others.

This year’s theme:

World Food Day: Building A Zero Hunger Generation

More than just a casual series of festivities, World Food Day is organized to bring awareness to how our changing planet affects food production and distribution. Related events explore several topics such as examining how agriculture needs to adapt due to climate change to how migration affects food security. The goal of these sessions is to set goals that will eventually lead to building a Zero Hunger Generation.

Let’s talk about its HISTORY:

World Food Day (WFD) was established by the member countries of FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) in November 1979, at the organization’s 20th General Conference. Dr. Pal Romany, the Hungarian Delegation led by the then Minister of Hungary for Agriculture and Food, played a significant role at the 20th General Conference of the FAO and proposed the idea of launching the WFD worldwide. Since then, the WFD is been observed in more than 150 countries every year; raising consciousness and knowledge of the problems and reasons behind hunger and poverty.

How India celebrates this day:

In India, the day marks the significance of agriculture and emphasizes on the fact that the food produced in and consumed by Indians is safe and healthy. The world food day is celebrated with great enthusiasm in India; several sincere lovers of food in Delhi joined hands and vowed to keep their food hygienic and safe. They opposed the introduction of GM (genetically modified) crops in India. People in Delhi celebrate the occasion at Craft museum of Dastakar Mela; they make rangoli and perform street plays and acts on the matter of genetic modification.

How other countries celebrate:

Europe

On World Food Day, Spanish television gets active with broadcasting events. Spanish soccer star and the Goodwill Ambassador of FAO, Raul has taken part in many events and has helped in highlighting food-security issues throughout his country. In Germany, Food and Agriculture Ministry, Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection, etc get involved through press conferences.

In Italy, various NGOs, international agencies, research institutes, universities, and ministries have organized several conferences, exhibitions and symposia. In 2005, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Policies in Italy organized a meeting that focused on the rights of the women in rural areas.

The United States of America

World Food Day has been a custom in the United States ever since it was established for the first time in the year 1981. In the United States, this great work is sponsored by approximately 450 private, national and voluntary organizations. Various events are organized at these organizations; one such notable examples for the celebration is the World Food Day Sunday Dinners sponsored by Oxfam America in association with several other non-profit organizations.

Africa

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ghana organized a food security conference and Namibia has run an awareness program through national media.

Angola celebrated World Food Day through the 4th Forum on Rural Women in 2005; in Burundi, the second Vice-President marked the event by planting potatoes to give a symbolic example about the production of food. The President of the Central African Republic inaugurated a bridge at Boda in the honor of the World Food Day; this facilitated the agricultural production area easily reachable.

Tell us, how do you celebrate this day in the comment section below 😀

Save Your Nuts!

The official day to go NUTS!

A day created by the Liberation Foods Company, the U.K.’s only Fair Trade framer owned nut company, National Nut Day is celebrated in hopes to raise awareness of Fair Trade nuts and encourage a healthy diet. The day’s celebrated today, i.e., 22nd Oct.

Whether you crack ’em, peel ’em, bust ’em, or buy ’em already opened for you, we can all agree that nuts are a handful of fun (unless you’re allergic to them). So, in honour of National Nut Day, we’ll be telling you why nuts are healthy, how they are healthy and which nut specifically will benefit you the most, but before that, do you have enough reasons to love this day? Maybe not, here you go then…

1) Nuts come in different shapes and sizes

No matter what your preference is, there is a vast variety of these delicious snacks that can suit your taste buds. Nuts come in all shapes and sizes, from teardrop shaped almonds to the wrinkly walnuts . In this case, size does not matter.

2) Nuts are delicious and nutritious

They are creamy and dreamy when consumed, and also deliver a punch of nutrition. Almonds are rich in protein, calcium, and vitamin E, while all nuts provide large amounts of healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

3) Nuts make the perfect snack

We all get hungry, but not always are able to eat a full meal. What do we do in situations like these? NUTS TO THE RESCUE! We can grab a handful of nuts for a guiltless snack that helps keep the hunger at bay.

Now, the health benefits of these NUTS!

1) Almonds

A 30-gram serving of almonds contains more fibre and vitamin E than any other nut, and is an excellent source of magnesium and manganese. The antioxidant function of vitamin E in almonds along with their magnesium and potassium can reduce LDL (“bad”) and total cholesterol levels, thus reducing the risk of heart disease. Ayurvedic medicine rates almonds highly for increasing brain capacity, intellect and longevity.

2) Cashew Nuts

Lower in fat than most nuts, they contain anacardic acid, which improves insulin sensitivity (which is beneficial to diabetic people) and help prevent chronic inflammation. Cashew nuts are rich in heart-friendly monounsaturated-fatty acids such as oleic, and palmitoleic acids that help lower harmful LDL-cholesterol while increasing good HDL cholesterol in the blood.

3) Peanuts

Peanuts contain one of the highest amounts of protein per serving among nuts. They also contain vitamin E, folate, niacin, magnesium and potassium. In Chinese medicine food therapy, peanut skin is often recommended for those with low platelet counts.

4) Brazil Nuts

It is referred to as an anti-cancer super food due to its rich source of selenium, an antioxidant that can protect against cancer and heart attack. Its high fibre and healthy fats content are also essential in detoxification, thyroid functions and controlling inflammation.

5) Pistachios

Pistachios have the second highest polyphenol and flavonoid content of the tree nuts. They are also an excellent source of potassium, vitamin B6, copper, and manganese. Studies have shown that eating in-shell pistachios enhances feelings of fullness and satisfaction while reducing caloric intake. Snacking on them has beneficial effects on glycaemic control, blood pressure, obesity, and inflammation markers in diabetic patients.

6) Hazelnuts

High levels of vitamin E, manganese, thiamine, folate, and fatty acids in hazelnuts improve brain and cognitive function and help prevent degenerative diseases later in life. They are also a good source of folate, which contributes to spine and brain development during pregnancy.

7) Walnuts

While lower in fibre and monounsaturated fats than many other nuts, walnuts are significantly higher in omega-3 fats than other tree nuts and peanuts, and also have higher levels of antioxidants. According to a study by the University of Texas Health Science Centre, 1g of walnut contains between 2.5 and 4.5 nanograms of melatonin, which is beneficial in treating insomnia.

Go Nuts, Go Healthy!

Try These Amazing Games At Your Own Halloween Party This Year!

Are you looking for some exciting ideas that can add more sparkles to your Halloween party for kids? You’re in the right place folks! Halloween may be all about costumes, candies, trick-or-treat but if you want your children and their friends to enjoy to the fullest and have a party of the year, you may wanna try some of these brilliant games that can liven any Halloween party, WE BET!

1) DIY Scarecrows

Divide the guests into teams. Give each team a pile of old clothes (including hats), pillowcases for heads, newspapers or hay for stuffing, ropes for tying and markers for making faces. Give each team 15 minutes or 20 minutes to make a scarecrow. Give prizes for the silliest and the scariest and hang them outside.

2) Mummy Wrap

Divide guests up in pairs; give each pair a roll of toilet paper. One team member will be the wrapper, the other will be the wrapped mummy. The first team to use up its roll wins. Or you can give each team two rolls of toilet paper and after the mummy is wrapped, he or she must wrap his partner. The first team to empty both rolls of toilet paper wins.

3) Story Telling

Include the beginning of a ghost story in your party invitations and ask each child to come to the party with an ending to tell. Hear all the endings and let the guests vote for the funniest, the weirdest, and the spookiest.

4) Can You Guess What You Feel?

This is one of those Halloween games many people remember from childhood. Line up five opaque plastic dishes and cover them all with a black cloth. Let each guest stick a hand in each dish, under the cloth so that the contents can’t be seen, and try to guess what it really is. You can tell the guest that the first dish holds guts (the insides of a pumpkin) and see what he or she guesses. The second dish is said to hold brains (damp coarse sponge). The third is said to hold veins (cold, cooked spaghetti). The fourth is said to hold cut-off fingers (cocktail sausages) and the fifth to hold skin (pieces of a soft flour tortilla). The person who guesses the most actual contents wins.

5) Donut Play If You’re Diabetic

Divide guests into teams. Hang as many doughnuts as guests from a tree limb or a clothesline by a string. Without using hands, each guest must catch and eat a doughnut. The first team to finish its doughnuts win.

6) Who Am I?

Have the kids draw Halloween-themed pictures on a piece of paper and tape them to each guest’s back (without the guest seeing what it is). While others can only give yes or no answers, each guest must guess what he or she thinks is drawn on the paper on their back.

Have better ideas for Halloween party games? Write to us [email protected] 🙂

Top 7 Best Audiobooks Of This Year So Far

“Audiobooks speak for themselves.”
– Paul Acampora, I Kill the Mockingbird

Some books are better to consume over audio than over text. I find that conceptual books and biographies are better off consumed over audio than text. Reading inspirational quotes and passages are great, but it doesn’t beat listening to a person that motivates you to do great things while you’re learning at the same time. Some people prefer audio over text for learning and maybe you’re one of them. If you don’t like reading, experiment with audiobooks and see if this helps you with learning. To get you started, here are top 7 audiobooks of 2018, so far:

1) Dare to lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.

In Brené Brown’s latest inspirational self-help blockbuster, she studies the characteristics that allow great leaders to lead. This guide packages her research into practical and anecdotal tips for readers. Narrated by the author.

2) The Outsider

In Stephen King’s latest thriller, a small town is turned upside down when a local coach is arrested for the brutal murder of an 11-year-old boy. Detective Ralph Anderson has some very personal reasons for getting to the bottom of it. Narrated by Will Patton, recipient of the Best Male Narrator Audie Award.

3) The President Is Missing

This high-profile collaboration between former President Bill Clinton and James Patterson got marks for (naturally) being a very “insider” White House thriller. A grave threat looms on American soil when the president himself disappears. Narrated by a full cast that includes actor Dennis Quaid.

4) Fire And Fury: Inside The Trump White House

President Donald Trump’s legacy will surely be studied for its temperament and tone. One of the earliest and most notorious accounts of “45” is Michael Wolff’s bestseller, narrated by Holter Graham. AudioFile Magazine lauded his narration, saying, “[Holter Graham] uses his deep, elastic voice to punctuate key ideas, and he speeds up and slows down to create tension … The result is a wonderful performance of a most important audiobook.”

5) Educated: A Memoir

Born to survivalist parents in the mountains of Idaho, Tara Westover lacked a formal education. In one of the most breathtaking trajectories to hit the written word since The Glass Castle, Westover breaks orbit to find a new life, earning a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge. Narrated by award-winning actor and narrator Julia Whelan.

6) The Woman In The Window

A. J. Finn’s page-turner of a thriller, inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, garnered accolades from the genre’s finest, including Stephen King, Louise Penny, and Gillian Flynn. The story of Anna Fox, a recluse who likes to spy on her neighbors, is set to become a film starring Amy Adams and Julianne Moore. The audiobook is narrated by actress and seasoned thriller-narrator Ann Marie Lee.

7) Everything Here Is Beautiful

In Mira T. Lee’s gorgeous debut novel, two sisters, Miranda and Lucia, face hard truths when a cloud of mental illness settles over their lives following the death of their mother. Lee’s book was selected by the American Book Association as a top ten debut for Winter/Spring 2018. It’s narrated by a full cast that includes Cassandra Campbell, a beloved and seasoned narrator.