Spice up your life: Indian Style (Philippines)

According to ABN-CBN Global, spices are the soul of Indian cooking. When talking about spices used in Indian cuisine, this refers to both the spice and herbs that are grown across the Indian subcontinent.

Image Credit: eatingbritain.com

Throughout India, spices are used not only to give each dish its unique flavor, but for curing properties, preserving food and aiding digestion.

In Manila, we get easy access to Indian cooking ingredients and spices, thanks to a small row of Indian grocery stores on UN avenue. Walk into any one of these establishments and a strong delectable aroma hits you instantly.

Check out our quick quide to the common Indian spices you can use:

Cloves. The unopened flower buds of a tropical tree, cloves have a uniquely sweet penetrating flavor, which means you don't need many for you dish. While it is used in desserts, it's most essential to Indian Garam Masala (basic blend of spices), Pulaos (a steamed rice dish with meat or seafood), meat dishes, and curries.

Coriander. The seeds of the cilantro (or wansoy) plant. Like cilantro, it has a refreshing aroma but has a nutty and citrus flavor. Ancient Indian texts claim that coriander has diuretic purposes.

Black Cardamom. Large oval-shaped black pods; the longest pod from the cardamom root plant. It has a smoky aroma and pungent taste. Unlike the green pods, black cardamon is rarely used in desserts, but is used in Indian curries and meat dishes.

Cumin. One thing to remember when using cumin is that a pinch goes a long way. Especially if it's ground cumin, which has a stronger taste compared to whole cumin. As a cousin to caraway, parsley, and anise, it has a distinct earthy taste that has a peppery bite. Cumin is also known for its digestive and cooling properties.

Tamarind. Use the juice of dry tamarind in Indian cooking to give your curry a touch of sourness. It is used more in southern Indian cuisine that in the north. It is used for a replacement for tomatoes.

Cinnamon. The cinnamon spice comes from the bark of the cinnamon tree. Sweet but with a spicy woodsy punch, it's normally used to flavor Masala Chai, Indian vegetable dishes and desserts.

Curry all-spice. For an all-in-one spice fix when making curry. Though the spice combination varies, the base normally includes the top four spices used in Indian curry: cumin, coriander, fenugreek (a clover-like bitter-flavored plant) and tumeric.

Fennel. While all parts of the fennel like the leaves and bulb are edible, the fennel spice comes from the dried seeds of the plant. It tastes a little like mild anise (an aromatic Mediterranean herb) but is sweeter and not as pungent. It has numerous medicinal purposes and is also used as a digestive.
For more information,  visit Assad Mini Mart, Little India Corp., and Talwar Indian Grocery at Midtown Executive Homes, 1268 UN Avenue, Paco, Manila or leave your feedback in the comment box below. 

source: ABS-CBN

“Don 2 is Farhan’s best work I have seen” – Bollywood Actress Priyanka Chopra (India)

According to Bolly Spice, everyone in Bollywood is currently watching out for one movie: Don 2. Expectations and curiosity has grown with each and every promo that has been released. How will the story continue? What has Farhan Akhtar come up with this time? And of course, will it break box office records? These are just some of the questions that are playing in everyone’s minds while they wait for the film to finally come to the big screen next week. The film will not only be the return of The King, but also his Jungli Billi aka Roma aka Priyanka Chopra.

Image Credit: zyomo.com

Women in Bollywood in most cases don’t have much of a role in action-movies, but in Don 2 Priyanka will be seen in full action-mode. ”Don 2 is a cool role for me. It’s an action film of another level in Bollywood. I am more angrier in this one. I’ve done a lot of fist fighting that I didn’t do too much of in the earlier Don. I went through intense rehearsals for my action with guidance from Farhan and Shah Rukh who often pulled my leg.”
While Priyanka doesn’t mind playing the damsel in distress, in Don 2, for once, she is not and that is exactly what makes this role so good, “I don’t play a damsel in distress and so missed all the dance and frolic I’ve been doing in my other movies. Don 2 is one of those rare movies where I have to be serious all the time. I can’t even sport my foot long smile. But that’s what’s good about Don 2. It makes me do things I’ve never done. That’s one advantage of playing a cop but it’s got disadvantages also as I’ve mentioned earlier.”

If you can remember, in the first film, Roma fell in love with Don (who she thought was Vijay). Ask her about her relationship with Don in part 2 and she says, ”Don cannot be predictable. By that I mean Don as a person. You can never tell what his next move is going to be. He is one bad guy you can’t mess with. Don is cold blooded and such people are really dangerous to deal with. Roma has such a relationship with him, hot and cold as she is hell bent on taking her revenge and wants Don at any cost. It’s a cat and mouse chase.”

Everyone in Bollywood at some point wants to work with Shah Rukh Khan. According to Priyanka SRK can live up to anything. That’s what sets him apart from any other star. “He is a man who believes in challenges at this point in his career. He puts in more than one needs to put in his movies. There are very few actors who are like that. Don 2 is SRK’s best action movie of 2011 I feel.”

So, from what we can tell so far one of the reasons to watch Don 2 is, of course, Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra. Another reason we can think of is the fact that Farhan Akhtar is back as director. But there is more! “It’s suspense to another level too. The music is also rich, but the film is so huge in itself that music will stand out once the movie is released. You will get to the groove of the songs once you see the film. Don 2 is Farhan’s best work I have seen,” Priyanka added.

You can catch Don and Roma in their cat and mouse game on December 21st if you are in the UK and on the 23rd for the rest of the world!

 What do you think about this movie? Leave your suggestions/concerns below in the comment box.

source: BollySpice.com