Fish Fry Recipe!

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Fish Fry Recipe

Ingredients

  • Any river fish fillets 750 gm
  • Chili powder 2-3 tsp
  • Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
  • Salt to taste
  • Juice of one small lemon
  • Green chilies, slit, 8-10
  • Curry leaves 2-3 sprigs
  • Garam masala powder
  • Fresh coriander leaves, washed and finely chopped, 2 bunches
  • Oil to shallow fry

Method:

Clean and wash the fish fillets.   Add the turmeric powder, chili powder, salt to taste, and lemon juice to the fish fillets and toss thoroughly.  Set aside for a minimum of one-half hour preferably in the refrigerator.

Heat a pan (tawa) on medium heat.  Add three to four tablespoons of oil.  Add a few of the curry leaves.  Add  three to four fish fillets and cook on medium heat till crisp.  Add one or two of the slit green chilies.  Flip and cook on the other side till crisp.  Sprinkle a pinch of the garam masala and a few chopped coriander leaves and cook for a few more seconds.  Drain and transfer onto an absorbent paper along with the curry leaves and green chilies.  Repeat the process for the remaining fish fillets.  Serve hot garnished with onion rings and lemon wedges.

Why Do Companies Cheat? Airtel Anyone?

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As kids we are taught not to cheat, steal or lie. Right throughout our schooling the same is imparted to us time and again. Even during examinations invigilators are always hovering about to dissuade anyone from cheating. Why is it then that once we grow up we forget these things? What does one do when companies start to cheat and steal from their customers? In case you are wondering then let me assure you that I am not alone for the company in question i.e. Airtel as a cursory search query in Google will show you – Airtel Cheats, Airtel Steals, Airtel Lies.

Why Do Companies Cheat? Airtel Anyone?

By the way, I’ve been a long-term customer of Airtel and even presently hold an Airtel mobile connection but that’s only because of the dearth of choice to customers (more on that later). Recently I decided to go in for Airtel’s unlimited internet for Rs. 98 (up to 2GB/30 days) and immediately realized nothing had changed from the time I had stopped being an Airtel customer (about a year back) till again I had to come back for their unlimited internet. As soon as I began using Airtel (again) and put in a request for their unlimited internet plan whoa Airtel billed me twice in the span of 10 days and at the end of it the internet never even worked. Only Airtel can bill a customer twice and yet not provide the service. It took me a couple of emails and calls to the customer care before anyone even admitted there was a problem thanks to the really bad customer service provided by Airtel. In particular I would like to mention a Mr. Shiva Shankar who works out of Splendid Towers near Begumpet who was abusive, rude and dismissive of a customer like me who had a genuine problem. In talking to Mr. Shiva Shankar it became very obvious that he was a manager who knew very little English and had even less in terms of PR skills or even the basic knowledge to answer any queries (and yes he was a manager at Airtel). Probably the recession that made Airtel offer very less salaries or maybe the mantra at Airtel to maximize profits, but either way the quality of people in employment at Airtel leaves a lot to be desired and a very sour taste in terms of the customer’s experience.

Finally after many emails and calls to Airtel’s customer service I got about 4 days worth of internet for what essentially should have been 60 days/4GB considering I was billed twice but what can one do when no one at Airtel even admits there is a problem. I really wish I had Mr. Sunil Mittal’s personal email or mobile number but really doubt if that would accomplish much either.

In case you are wondering why I’m still using Airtel well its because they are the only ones who have GPRS/EDGE working all over town. I have always been a smartphone user and a smartphone needs a data connection that works.  I’ve tried others like Tata Docomo, Vodafone but none of them have seamless data coverage across town like Airtel does which is pretty much essential for my smartphone with its push email, LBS (location-based service), Google Maps Mobile, Nokia Ovi Maps with Voice Navigation and others alike not to mention internet browsing on the move. This is very similar to an AT&T user in the United States who has to pretty much live with AT&T’s bad coverage because they want to use the iPhone which is available only with AT&T.  So its pretty much complain and rant, but still continue to use. So likewise, I complain and rant, but have to use Airtel as the others will cause the phone to hang, the app to hang/close, or worse still the mobile phone to reboot.

Hopefully, 3G or 4G will be better from the other mobile providers and I can finally chuck Airtel for good. Hopefully!!!!

Should We Stay In India?

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The past few days and weeks I’ve been thinking a lot on this subject. Should I (or anyone else for this matter) stay on in India and continue to work and make our living here (pay our taxes, etc.), or simply say enough is enough and head overseas for greener pastures. Consider the alternatives for Australia!

The Cons -

  • Get beaten and attacked racially (but this can happen in India too from fundamentalists and terrorists).
  • No family or friends (or at least find and make new friends).
  • Do your own work (no maids or very expensive maids).

The Pros –

  • Great place to live.
  • Good pay.
  • Great civic services.
  • Clean and green place to stay.
  • No power cuts.
  • Good roads.
  • Clean water.
  • Cleaner air.
  • Latest in terms of technology, goods, services, medicines, essential commodities.
  • And a lot more thrown in terms of food, clothes, public transport system, cost of living, cleanliness, and general standards of living.

Similar parallels can be drawn for any other “developed country” like the United States, United Kingdom, Japan or many parts of Europe.

Now consider what we have in India. Garbage on the streets, litter everywhere, no drainage system, no roads, no water (yes I buy “mineral water” to drink and also water in a tanker for the rest of the activities), no power, and then consider the money we spend in terms of tax, 40% in direct taxes and then so much more considering everything from a toothpick to anything and everything you buy in the market in taxed.

The last two days there was no power at home from 6:30 pm to 11:30 pm the first day and then from 7 pm to 2:30 am the next day. On hot days when the temperature is at 41 degrees Centigrade it seems the government does not even want its citizens to sleep. What is the use of having an AC at home when there is no power to power it?

I agree the tax in say a country like the United States is more than what one would pay in India, but at least the tax money is spent on its citizens and they do enjoy clean air, clean water, good roads, power supply at all times and other great infrastructure in terms of their public transport system (there are no roads to talk of in India), goods, products and services.

If you think I’m being unpatriotic then let me correct you that I’m a patriot and that is precisely why I’m still hanging around in India when all the people I grew up with are in countries like the United States, Australia, United Kingdom and so on.

Now I’m having second thoughts on what is the use of being a patriot? Just consider the alternatives in terms of governance for my state of Andhra Pradesh.  On one side is a grandfather who should be playing with his grandchildren, Konijeti Rosaiah, who is past his prime, and the other contender is Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy who does not know anything about politics or governance but wants all power citing his father’s name. I can only shudder at what the future holds for the people of this state.

Now coming to the country. It seems the IPL and the money it generates is more interesting to the politicians than the country and its people.  At last count there were 2 Union Ministers, Minister of State for External Affairs Government of India Shashi Tharoor, Lalit Modi, 2 women (Sunanda Pushkar and South African model Gabriella Demetriades) and mind you none of them play any cricket!!!

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) Rock, Play Like Champs, Are Just Brilliant, Awesome…

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Sounds silly right? When Will Our Commentators Get In Touch With Reality? Just a while back I heard Krishnamachari "Kris" Srikkanth sing praises about the Chennai Super Kings and about how great they were and how awesome they were. Then immediately Arun Lal in the studio says the the Kolkata Knight Riders have a 35% chance and again with emphasis “but they do have a 35% chance of winning” and begins to talk great of them as usual. Mind you this on a day when both teams are on the verge of being ousted from the tournament that is IPL, yes if either of them lose a single match they are out. Also, both have lost more matches than they have won. Yet they are praised to the skies by their most ardent supporters.

Hence, I thought I might as well heap praises on Preity Zinta’s team the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) simply because I love Preity Zinta, never mind Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) are at the bottom of the table and out of the tournament!

Preity Zinta

Who Will Save Our Media?

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The media is supposed to be the Fourth Estate and the watchdog of society but our media has really made it to the dogs and very easily that too. I was out the past couple of days and passing by the Taj Krishna and the entire place was surrounded by the news media companies and their vans so much so that it was difficult to drive by that road. The reason was our “own” Sania Mirza marrying a Pakistani (yes the same country that has been sending terrorists into our country and bombing us) Shoaib Malik. Well if Sania Mirza does not have any sense what happened to the rest of the country and especially our media?

Taj Krishna Hotel - Hyderabad Photograph of the Taj Krishna!

The fun part was the media crews were reporting from the roadside (outside the hotel) as they were not allowed inside. This very month CRPF men were killed by naxals and our media has all but forgotten it, but Sania Mirza and her Pakistani husband will be covered (never mind that no one can actually see or talk to Sania Mirza or Shoaib Malik). Even the past 10 to 15 days have been full of Sania Mania and the love triangle between Sania Mirza, Shoaib Malik, and Ayesha Siddiqui. If not Sania Mania then the other option is Twitter, Lalit Modi and Shashi Tharoor.

I’m now really scared to switch on the news channels.

But at least I can blog about who is dumber on Twitter – Lalit Modi or Shashi Tharoor???

Should We Save The Tiger?

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I keep watching these ads on TV and even so called initiatives from the likes of Aircel, M. S. Dhoni, Kiran Bedi and others and I have begun to ask myself should we save our tigers?

Do not get me wrong, I love the tiger. I love all animals including man. But is there any reason why we should listen to the media? I have all but given up on all media a long time ago (more on that later). All the media cares about is Sania Mirza and her man, never mind there is no water, no roads, no drainage and no power in these hot summers. I have not heard back from NDTV regarding their Gold Safe scam (guess Barkha Dutt too is covering Sania Mania).

But my question is what do I have to do with saving the tiger? Isn’t that the Indian Government’s job and also the Indian Forest Service. Why are we even being asked money to pay towards saving of the tiger? Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not in love with money and nor am I a stingy Uncle Scrooge. But I do have issues with the common man being asked to do what is not his job. All it seems to be is just another ploy to collect money so that another corrupt official/politician will dig into it just as well.

Instead of asking the common man to pay for saving the tiger why not ask the Royal Challengers Bangalore to put the tiger as their brand ambassador instead of the likes of Deepika Padukone or Katrina Kaif. The money saved thus would be more than enough to save all the tigers methinks!!! I’m just kidding though. If the idea of asking Royal Challengers Bangalore, Deepika Padukone or Katrina Kaif money to save the tiger sounds sacrilegious then it should be even more so when the common man is asked for the money.

The tiger for its misfortune of being born in a country like India should die. The common man is being bled dry by corruption and corrupt administration, officials, politicians and just about everyone else. So why should the tiger be any different? Or is an animal even more important to us than the common man?

My Thoughts From The IndiBlogger Meet…

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It was fun. If anyone thought it would be a boring meeting and full of technical geeks or full time professional bloggers they would be pleasantly surprised.  As I myself discovered bloggers do come in all shapes and sizes and even ages. I personally thought not many would take the trouble of having their own blog and writing on it on a regular basis, not to mention the hassles (and costs involved) of the domains, hosting, configuration, themes, plug-ins and what not, but to my surprise the place was packed tight with some 150 odd bloggers from the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Even more surprising to me was the varied topics on which people blogged. Take for instance the retired senior citizen who blogged on senior citizens and the problems they faced, a blog only on old Telugu songs, a blog on vegetarian food by a nutritionist, a blog on shares and stocks, real estate, job hunting trials, politics, present socioeconomic conditions, poetry, Sher O Shayari, cartoons, SMS, funny jokes, and even a blog on M. F. Hussain’s exile.

Also present were the usual suspects like tech gadgets, Google, Apple, Microsoft bashing, mobile phone reviews, and entertainment blogs dealing with music, movies, Bollywood, and Hollywood. The youngest blogger was a young girl in her teens, and then all the way to the senior citizens. Then there were also stories of many who shared how they found their calling of writing and sharing information by blogging as well as those who liked to travel and document their travels and then those who wanted to reach out to others from within their home. All in all a fun time in meeting with other bloggers and also an eye opener to me that so many blogged and that too on such varied topics. Blogging it seems is here to stay!!!

Attending UniverCell Hyderabad IndiBlogger Meet!

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IndiBlogger.in - Indian Blogging Community

Tomorrow the UniverCell Hyderabad IndiBlogger meet is taking place at Fortune Select Manohar at Begumpet (yes near the old Airport) and I will be attending with my buddy Rajib.

On the agenda is meeting with fellow bloggers from Hyderabad and the IndiBlogger team as well as the sponsors UniverCell. The meet is going to be held from 2:30 pm and should wind up by 6 pm. Looking forward to meet with fellow bloggers and share ideas as well as learn something along the way.

Chicken Noodles Recipe!

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I promised the recipe and here it is.

Chicken Noodles Recipe

At the outset, Maggi Noodles were used!

Ingredients:-

  • 2 packets of Maggi
  • 250gm boneless chicken, washed and sliced thinly
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 tomato chopped
  • 1-2 tbsp olive oil/cooking oil
  • 1-2 tsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1/2 tsp red chili powder
  • A pinch of turmeric powder
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper powder, freshly ground
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 spring curry leaves
  • Fresh coriander leaves finely chopped

Method:

Heat oil in a cooking utensil.  Add the chopped onion and sauté until it is golden brown.  Add the chopped tomato and cook.  Add the ginger garlic paste, red chili powder, turmeric powder, and black pepper powder.  Cook for a minute or two.  Add the thinly sliced chicken and curry leaves.  Cook on a high flame for 2-3 minutes and then cook on a low flame till the chicken is cooked.  While the chicken is cooking, in a separate utensil cook the Maggi noodles as per the instructions on the packet without adding the tastemaker.  When the chicken is done transfer the cooked noodles into it, add the tastemaker, and stir.  Add salt to taste as required (tastemaker does contain a good amount of salt).  Cook for 2-3 minutes adding little water if desired.  Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

Google Transliteration Is Fun!

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Google Transliteration

హలో చెల్లలు గారు
మీరు బాగా ఉన్నారా
నేను ఇక్కడ బాగా ఉన్నాను
నా పెళ్ళాం కూడా బాగా ఉన్నది
నా స్నేహితుడు నంబూరి – నువ్వు ఎలాగా ఉన్నావు

రాజీవ్ అబ్రహం (That’s my name)

Those who know me personally will be very much surprised to see me write in such fluent Telugu (my mother tongue which I cannot read or write with much fluency), but thanks to Google now everyone can write in any language they want (as long as its supported by Google).  Simply visit http://www.google.com/transliterate/, choose the language you want to type in from the dropdown menu and begin to type in English. Please do note that it is not translation in the sense the meaning is interpreted and translated but the phonetic sounds are converted into the native language.  Meaning if you want the word rice in Telugu then type in the actual Telugu word phonetically i.e. in this instance “annam” and it will be transliterated into the Telugu script “అన్నం”.  Typing in rice will covert (transliterate) it to “రైస్” which is not the Telugu word for it.  Give it a spin, I’m sure you will be able to surprise your friends and family with your new found language skills.

Google Transliterate is also available for download from http://www.google.com/ime/transliteration/ and can be used on a desktop PC too.