Hyderabadi Haleem

After reading my blog ‘A Real Taste of Hyderabad’, I assume your mouth may be watering and you are tempted to try out those dishes. But to try out those authentic delicacies of Hyderabad, you need to visit the city of Nizam’s in this month of Ramadan, which starts from July 20^th and will last for a month.

The true flavor of Hyderabad can be experienced in the evenings of this month, when the Muslims break their day long fast with Iftar, which becomes a reason for get together of relatives and friends and if you get an invite for any Iftar, do not miss it, as this is the place where you can savour different delicacies of Hyderabad free of cost. Otherwise do not feel bad, because you will get all these delicacies in different restaurants of Hyderabad and some are world renown for some particular variant.

There are various dishes in Hyderabad which can be relished by the foodies, but this being the holy month of Ramadan, let me give you some information about the dish which is synonymous with Ramadan and that is world famous Hyderabadi Haleem.

Haleem is usually consumed in this month during Iftar, as it is highly nutritious, tasty and above all instant energy giver. The dish is rich in protein and it contains anti-aging ingredients as it is made of meat, lentil, pounded wheat, ghee and different spices. This is usually cooked on a low flame of firewood for nearly 12 hours to make into a thick paste. It is served hot with fried onions, chopped coriander, cashew nuts discs of lemon and slices of boiled egg.

Hyderabadi Haleem was rewarded with Geographical Indication Status in 2010 and this is the first non-vegetarian dish of India to get this status. 

There are innumerable joints in Hyderabad where you can savour this dish in the month Ramadan, but some possess very good ranking among foodies like Pista House, Survy, Hotel Shah Ghouse, Madina Hotel etc.

                            Haleem Joint

Pista House is an ISO 9002 company, which has various outlets in different parts of the city. It has the facility of home delivery to different parts of India as well as to some places of Europe and USA.

Mouth watering! Feeling hungry! So why don't you join me to relish Hyderabadi Haleem here in Hyderabad ? 

Waiting for U!

Ladakh

Honeymoon in the monsoon months

Are you recently married or planning to get married in these monsoon months? After marriage you certainly would like to go out with your newlywed partner for a sweet honeymoon in some corner of India? 

The answer from your side is certainly yes! But you are little confused and puzzled about your destination,  right! As most of the places in India are blessed with rain in these months of monsoon, you cannot go out freely. I believe, regular travelers too do not like these months of monsoon as it creates lots of inconvenience while traveling.

But do not worry there are many places in the northern India which do not get affected by this south-west monsoon. So plan for your trip to those places of India where you will not get caught up with rain.

In the valleys of Kashmir there is a place named Ladakh. Not much explored, but a place where the pristine beauty of nature will endear you. Here is a place where you can commune with God Himself.

Ladakh is wedged between Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas in the south. Ladakh or Kashmir as a whole can be your best destination for touring or honeymooning in between the months of June to September in India. That is if you do not like rains.

 

 

  Ladakh, situated at an altitude of around 3500 m and shadowed by the world’s highest peaks, is really a land of pristine beauty. The presence of white crowned high mountains all around makes the flowing river look tiny, along with glistening glaciers making their way through this picturesque land of Ladakh.  

Being sparsely populated area and not much ventured by the tourists, this place is still maintaining its natural beauty.

 Ladakh hardly receives any water from the rain; the main source of water in this place is the snow-melted water.  The same water is used for irrigation through small streams, which is preferred by the farmers than rain water.

 

 This land of many passes has Buddhist monasteries all around, which are really worth visiting. Other than the mesmerizing surroundings, the serene and peaceful atmosphere of the monasteries is so relaxing that it makes you forget all your worries.After this meditation hour of the morning, you can go for different outdoor activities like white water rafting, trekking, jeep safaris and mountaineering.

 

Shopaholics and foodies don’t worry.There are lots of things in your store too. The place is well known for the Ladhaki artifacts. 

So you can shop Ladhaki artifacts such as Buddhist relics, Pashmina and Cashmere shawls and stoles. Foodies can savour the varieties of Ladhaki, Kashmiri, Tibetan and European dishes, which the place is well known for.

While visiting Ladakh, the nearby places that you can include in your itinerary are Leh, Khardung-La ,Zanskar, Nubra valley and Panamik.

So I think I have given one solution to your problem of choosing the destination. So what are you waiting for? Plan for your trip and make the arrangements right now.

One moment, sorry! I have forgotten to tell you of how to reach the place and the precautions to be taken while travelling.

There is an airport in Ladakh’s capital Leh, in which services are provided by Indian Airlines. From the airport there are regular buses and shared jeep- taxies to take you to your destination.

There is no rail facility in Ladakh, you can go there only by flight or buses. Now hurry up!  Book your stay and flight as soon as possible, as the flights and hotels are usually full in the summer months.

Some Precautionary Measures:

• As Ladakh is situated at a great height you may feel sick on the first day, as body takes time to acclimatize with the surroundings, so you can consult your doctor before starting the tour for the remedy.
• Though you are visiting in summer, you need to carry woolen garments, as the atmosphere is quite cool there.
• Do not eat much before travelling by road to Ladakh, as you may get nausea while travelling through the hilly roads.