Sunday, December 28, 2008

Palak Paneer

Ingredients
3 bunches of spinach (fresh and cleaned)
100 gms paneer
1 onion
3 tablespoons of butter
3 to 4 bay leaves
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Salt to taste
¼ teaspoon of black pepper powder
¾ teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
½ teaspoon green chili paste
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Method

* Mix the ginger-garlic paste, green chili paste and some water with spinach.
* Put the mixture in a pressure cooker, steaming it for about 7-8 minutes
* Blend the mixture in a blender to make an even thick spinach paste.
* Cut the paneer into small cubes.
* Heat oil in a pan and then deep fry the paneer cubes till it is light brown.
* In a cooking pan heat the butter and fry the bay leaves and cumin seeds. Add the chopped onion.
* Add salt, black pepper powder, garam masala.
* Add the fried paneer cubes and cooked spinach.
* Serve hot with rice

Friday, December 26, 2008

Pepper Mushroom



Ingredients:
Mushroom one small pack.
Pepper (powdered) 4 or 5 spoon.
Ginger & garlic paste 1 and a half spoon.
Onion (chopped) 1.
Turmeric Powder 2 pinch.
Salt To a needed limit.
Oil 3 spoon.
Lime (squash) 2 drops.
Coriander leaves.
Mustard seeds and Curry leaves .

Method:
* Heat a pan containing oil, then add mustard seeds and curry leaves after the oil gets heated.
* Add the chopped onion to that and fry till the onion turn to golden brown in colour.
* Immediately add the ginger & garlic paste,turmeric powder, powdered pepper, fry for a second.
* Add the mushroom pieces to the above mixing.
* Add half a glass of water, add salt. Wait till it turns to gravy.
* Finally Squeeze a 2 drops of lime and garnish with coriander leaves.
* Serve hot with Rice, Chappathi, Naan. You can also add Potatoes(finely chopped) if you like.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

A-Z phobia

A
Achluophobia - Fear of darkness.
Acrophobia - Fear of heights.
Agliophobia - Fear of pain.
Agoraphobia - Fear of open spaces or crowds.
Aichmophobia - Fear of needles or pointed objects.
Amaxophobia - Fear of riding in a car.
Androphobia - Fear of men.
Anginophobia - Fear of angina or choking.
Anthrophobia - Fear of flowers.
Anthropophobia - Fear of people or society
.Aphenphosmphobia - Fear of being touched.
Arachnophobia - Fear of spiders.
Arithmophobia - Fear of numbers.
Astraphobia - Fear of thunder and lightening.
Ataxophobia - Fear of disorder or untidiness.
Atelophobia - Fear of imperfection.
Atychiphobia - Fear of failure.
Autophobia - Fear of being alone.
B
Bacteriophobia - Fear of bacteria.
Barophobia - Fear of gravity.
Bathmophobia - Fear of stairs or steep slopes.
Batrachophobia - Fear of amphibians.
Belonephobia - Fear of pins and needles.
Bibliophobia - Fear of books.
Botanophobia - Fear of plants.
C
Cacophobia - Fear of ugliness.
Catagelophobia - Fear of being ridiculed.
Catoptrophobia - Fear of mirrors.
Chionophobia - Fear of snow.
Chromophobia - Fear of colors.
Chronomentrophobia - Fear of clocks.
Claustrophobia - Fear of confined spaces.
Coulrophobia - Fear of clowns.
Cyberphobia - Fear of computers.
Cynophobia - Fear of dogs.
D
Dendrophobia - Fear of trees.
Dentophobia - Fear of dentists.
Domatophobia - Fear of houses.
Dystychiphobia - Fear of accidents.
E
Ecophobia - Fear of the home.
Elurophobia - Fear of cats.
Entomophobia - Fear of insects.
Ephebiphobia - Fear of teenagers.
Equinophobia - Fear of horses.
G
Gamophobia - Fear of marriage.
Genuphobia - Fear of knees.
Glossophobia - Fear of speaking in public.
Gynophobia - Fear of women.
H
Heliophobia - Fear of the sun.
Hemophobia - Fear of blood.
Herpetophobia - Fear of reptiles.
Hydrophobia - Fear of water.
I
Iatrophobia - Fear of doctors.
Insectophobia - Fear of insects.
K
Koinoniphobia - Fear of rooms.
L
Leukophobia - Fear of the color white.
Lilapsophobia - Fear of tornadoes and hurricanes.
Lockiophobia - Fear of childbirth.
M
Mageirocophobia - Fear of cooking.
Megalophobia - Fear of large things.
Melanophobia - Fear of the color black.
Microphobia - Fear of small things.
Mysophobia - Fear of dirt and germs.
N
Necrophobia - Fear of death or dead things.
Noctiphobia - Fear of the night.
Nosocomephobia - Fear of hospitals.
O
Obesophobia - Fear of gaining weight.
Octophobia - Fear of the figure 8.
Ombrophobia - Fear of rain.
Ophidiophobia - Fear of snakes.
Ornithophobia - Fear of birds.
P
Papyrophobia - Fear of paper.
Pathophobia - Fear of disease.
Pedophobia - Fear of children.
Philophobia - Fear of love.
Phobophobia - Fear of phobias.
Podophobia - Fear of feet.
Porphyrophobia - Fear of the color purple.
Pteridophobia - Fear of ferns.
Pteromerhanophobia - Fear of flying.
Pyrophobia - Fear of fire.
S
Scolionophobia - Fear of school.
Selenophobia - Fear of the moon.
Sociophobia - Fear of social evaluation.
Somniphobia - Fear of sleep.
T
Tachophobia - Fear of speed.
Technophobia - Fear of technology.
Tonitrophobia - Fear of thunder.
Trypanophobia - Fear of injections.
V-Z
Venustraphobia - Fear of beautiful women.
Verminophobia - Fear of germs.
Wiccaphobia - Fear of witches and witchcraft.
Xenophobia - Fear of strangers or foreigners.
Zoophobia - Fear of animals.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

White Tiger


The white tiger (also known as the Bengal tiger) is about 3 meters long, and weighs approximately 180-285 kg (400-569 LB). It’s coat lies flatter than that of the Siberian tiger, the tawny color is richer and the stripes are darker. White tigers are white colored bengals, they are not albinos and they are not a seperate subspecies of tigers.They have blue eyes, a pink nose, and creamy white furr covered with chocolate colored stripes. White tigers are born to tigers that carry the unusual gene needed for white coloring. Wild white tigers are very rare.They are usually located on the Mainland of Southeastern Asia and in central and southern India. The white Bengal tiger lives in grassy or swampy areas and forests, where they can be well camouflaged. Those living on islands have almost disappeared; most now live in zoo’s or special wildlife parks.Even though it is illegal, white tigers are hunted by poachers in many Asian countries.Tiger’s body parts are sought for use in traditional Chinese medicine and exotic recipes. As well as their body parts, their coats can be sold for a small fortune, so to many people this is the ideal animal to hunt if they want some fast money.

WHITE TIGER FACTS
White tigers are born to Bengal tigers that carry an unusual gene needed for white coloring. The White Tiger is a good swimmer, but a very poor climber.They may be slow runners, but they are stealthy enough to catch any prey in their sights. Because they are solitary animals, they mostly hunt at night.The other four sub-species of tiger are Siberian, South China, Indochinese, and Sumataran. There are only approximately 5,000 to 7,400 tigers left in the wild.It is belief that if you are born in the Chinese year of the tiger you are unusually lucky. Let’s hope that some of this luck rubs off on the white tiger before it’s too late.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Nile- The longest River

At 4,132 miles (6,650 km.), the Nile River is the longest river in the world. It has its origins in Burundi, south of the equator, and flows northward through northeastern Africa, eventually flowing through Egypt and finally draining into the Mediterranean Sea. Three principal streams form the Nile. In Ethiopia's highlands, water flows from the Blue Nile and the Atbara. Headstreams of the White Nile flow into Lake Victoria and Lake Albert. The Nile River basin is immense and occupies an area about one-tenth of the continent of Africa. It includes portions of Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Zaire, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, The Sudan, and Egypt. It is estimated to drain an area of 1,293,000 square miles (3,349,000 sq. km.)
The Nile receives its name from the Greek Neilos, which means a valley or river valley. The river flowed northward and flooded the lands in Egypt, leaving behind black sediment. As a result the ancient Egyptians called the river Ar or Aur (black). The Greeks and Egyptians also gave the land its oldest name Kem or Kemi, which also translates into black. The river's water and the fertile soil along its banks created the perfect setting for the evolution of the civilizations that existed in the ancient world. The ancient peoples that lived along the river's banks cultivated the art of agriculture and were one the first to utilize the plow.
Throughout the year, the Nile serves as a constant source of water. This enables farming along its banks in spite of the high temperatures that occur. In those regions, especially The Sudan, where there is enough rainfall to support cultivation, the high temperatures evaporate enough of the water making irrigation necessary. In addition to its vital role in agriculture, its waterways also play a major role in transportation. During seasonal flooding it enables transportation to those areas where road access is not possible.
During the 20th century, dependence on the waterways as a sole source of transportation has been reduced as facilities for air, rail and highways have expanded.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Chilly Paneer


Ingredients
1. 1 cup Paneer chopped into cubes
2. 3-4 green chilies
3. 1 tea spn soya sauce
4. 1 tea spn tomato ketchup
5. 1/2 tea spn ginger-garlic paste
6. 1/2 cup onions slices
7. 1/2 cup capsicum slices
8. 1 tbl spn oil
9. 2-3 strands coriander leaves
10. Salt

Directions

1. Heat oil and fry the Paneer cubes till they turn slightly brownish. Take them out.
2. In the remaining oil, add ginger-garlic paste and onions. Fry till onions turn translucent.
3. Add capsicum, slitted green chilies and fry till they become soft.
4. Add soya sauce, tomato ketchup, salt and Paneer. Mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Taj Mahal - One of the seven wonders of the world


Taj Mahal of India - "the epitome of love", "a monument of immeasurable beauty". The beauty of this magnificent monument is such that it is beyond the scope of words. The thoughts that come into the mind while watching the Taj Mahal of Agra is not just its phenomenal beauty, but the immense love which was the reason behind its construction. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan got this monument constructed in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, with whom he fell in love at the first sight. The very first sight of the Taj Mahal, the epitome of love and romance leaves one mesmerized.
Standing majestically on the banks of River Yamuna, the Taj Mahal is synonymous with love and romance. It is believed that the name "Taj Mahal" was derived from the name of Shah Jahan wife Mumtaz Mahal and means "Crown Palace". The purity of the white marble, the exquisite ornamentation, precious gemstones used and its picturesque location, all make Taj Mahal travel gain a place amongst the most popular ones. However, unless and until, one knows the love story behind the Tajmahal of India, it will come up as just a beautiful building. But, the love behind this outstanding monument is what has given a life to this monument

Friday, December 5, 2008

Qutab Minar


Qutub-ud-din Aibak laid the foundation for Qutub Minar in 1199 AD and his successor and son-in-law Shamsu'd-Din- Iitutmish completed the structure by adding three more stories. Standing at 72.5 meters, it is the highest stone tower in India. Its base diameter is 14.3 meters and its top diameter is 2.7 meters. It has 379 steps leading to its top story. The lower three stories are made using red sand stone and the top two with marble and sand stone.
There are various stories being told about the reason the Qutub minar was built. Some say that it was constructed as tower of victory to declare the might of Islam. Some others have the view that it might have been used as a tower for defense. The inscriptions at the base of the minaret tell that Firoz Shah Tughlak (AD 1351-88) added the last story in 1368. It is also believed that Sikandar Lodhi(AD 1489-1517) and Major R. Smith (1829) have undertaken several repair and restoration works on the tower. There are a numerous other Arabic inscriptions on the tower telling the history of Qutub.
Other structures in the Qutub complex include:
Tomb of Iitutmish, which was constructed in 1235 AD. The tomb is made up of red sandstone and it describes the Arabic architectural patterns.
Alai Minar, which stands north to Qutub Minar was constructed by Alaud-Din-Khalji with an intention to make it twice the size of Qutub. But he could complete only one storey and the work was abandoned after his death. Alai Minar is 25meters in height.
Quwwat-ul-Islam, a mosque constructed by Qutub-ud-din in 1198 also stands in the Qutub complex.
A famous Iron Pillar, which was erected in the 4th Century AD, is located in the courtyard of Quwwat-ul-Islam. It raises to a height of 7 meters and weighs more than 6 tons. The Sanskrit inscriptions on the pillar tells that it is erected as a flagstaff in honour of hindu god Vishnu and the memory of Chandra Gupta. It is made up of 98% wrought iron and it stood the test of time of more than 1600 years with our rust or decomposition. This proclaims the metallurgical excellence of ancient India.
There are many other installations like madrassas, graves, tombs, mosques in the vicinity of Qutub Minar.
Interestingly Qutub Minar is the most visited tourist spot in Delhi.

Monday, December 1, 2008

HIGHEST, LONGEST, BIGGEST, LARGEST, DEEPEST, SMALLEST OF THE WORLD

Largest Airport - King Khalid International Airport (South Arabia)
Highest Airport - Lhasa Air­port, Tibet
Tallest Animal - Giraffe
Largest Animal - Blue Bottom whale
Largest Bay - Hudson Bay, Canada,
Fastest Bird - Swift
Largest Bird - Ostrich
Smallest Bird - Humming bird
Longest Bridge - the Akashi Kaikyo bridge in Japan takes the title, with a main span of 1,991 meters (or 6,532 feet)
Tallest Building - Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan,2004,101 stories,509m,1,670ft
Longest Canal - Baltic sea White Canal
Largest Cathedral - Cathedral Church of New York
Largest Cemetry - Leningrad, Russia
Largest Church - Belisca of St. Peter in the Vatican City, Rome.
Largest Continent - Asia
Smallest Continent - Australia
Largest Country - Russia
Smallest Country - Vatican City
Biggest Cinema House - Roxy, New York
Highest City - Wen Chuan, China
Highest Population - Mexico
Longest Day - June 21
Shortest Day - December 22
Largest Delta - Sunderbans
Largest Desert - Sahara, Africa
Biggest Dome - Gol Gumbaz (Bijapur), India
Largest Dams - Grand Coulee Dam, USA
Tallest Fountain - Fountain Hills, Arizona
Largest Gulf - Gulf of Mexico
Largest Hotel - Hotel Rossaiya, Moscow
Largest Island - Greenland
Largest Lake - Caspian Sea, CISIran
Deepest Lake - Baikal (Siberia)
Highest Lake - Titicaca (Bolivia)
Biggest Library - National Kiev Library, Moscow and Library of the Congress, Washington
Largest Mosque - Jama Masjid, Delhi (India)
Highest Mountain Peak Mount Everest (Nepal)
Highest Mountain Range Himalayas
Longest Mountain - Andes (South America)
Biggest Museum - British Museum (London)
Largest Minaret Sultan Has-san Mosque (Egypt)
Tallest Minaret - Qutub Minar, Delhi (India)
Biggest Oceans - Pacific Ocean
Deepest Oceans - Pacific Ocean
Biggest Palace - Vatican (Rome)
Largest Palace - Imperial Palace (China)
Biggest Park - Yellow Stone Na­tional Park
Largest Park - Wood Buffalo National Park (Canada)
Largest Peninsula - Arabia
Highest Plateau - Pamir (Tibet)
Longest Platform - Kharagpur, W. Bengal (India)
Largest Platform - Grand Central Terminal, (Ely. Sta­tion)New York (USA)
Biggest Planet - Jupiter
Smallest Planet - Murcury
Brightest Planet Venus
Coldest Planet Pluto
Nearest (To the Sun) - Mercury
Farthest (from the Sun) - Pluto
Longest River - Nile, Africa
Longest River Dam - Hirakud Dam, India
Largest Sea - South China Sea
Largest Stadium - Starhove Stadium, Prague (Czech Republic)
Brightest Star - Sirius A
Tallest Statue - Motherland (Russia)
Largest Sea-bird - Albatross
Biggest Telescope - Mt. Palomar (USA)
Longest Train Flying Scotsman
Largest Temple - Angkorwat in Kampuchea
Oldest Theatre - Teatro Ohm­pico (Itlay)
Tallest Tower - C. N. Tower, Toronto (Canada)
Longest Wall - Great Wall of China
Highest Waterfall - Angel (Venezuela)
Widest Waterfall - Khone Falls (Laos)
Lowest Water Level - Dead Sea
Longest Epic - Mahabharata
Hottest Place - Al-Azizia (Libya)
Rainiest Place - Mosinram, near Cherapunji (India)
Highest Road - Leh-Nobra, Ladakh division India.
Highest Village - Andean (Chile)
Highest Volcano - Ojos del Salado, (Argentina) Chile
Largest Volcano - Manuna Lea (Hawai)
Lightest Gas - Hydrogen
Fastest Animal - Cheetah
Biggest Flower - Rafflesia (Java)
Longest Corridor - Rameshwaram Temple (India)
Largest Democracy - India
Fastest Dog - Persian greyhound
Lightest Metal - Lithium