iNoJudgeYou

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[inojudgeyou]

My First Flight During The Pandemic!

Hiya! I travelled from Minneapolis to Toronto this Saturday, August 1st 2020 and wanted to document my experience in hope that it might help someone out there ♥️

First things first, I booked a direct, 2 hour long flight (10:45 AM departure) with Delta as I knew they’re keeping middle seats unoccupied until September 😎But they changed the itinerary about a month prior to the travel day. From direct it now became a one-stop itinerary (6:45 AM departure) via Detroit, Michigan [2 hours + 1 hour layover + 1 hour]. I panicked, tried to contact them every possible way but was never able to get in touch! 😔

Try to book the shortest route possible (less time in-air)

Woke up at 2:30 AM so I could be at the airport 3 hours early to avoid rushing. Although the airport was sparsely filled and I was done with my checkin in 30 mins tops, I don’t regret going early. You never wanna rush, it gets super hot under that mask 🤪

Reach airport early enough to avoid sweating under that mask!

Everybody at the airport was wearing a mask which was such a relief. The only place I had to slide my mask down was at the security checkin for identity confirmation. Also, social distancing went down the drain at security checkin. It was business as usual. People were right next to each other, loading their stuff on trays

Don’t panic if you don’t have a personal hand sanitizer

There were hand sanitizer stands available all over the airport so don’t worry if you don’t have one personally or forget yours at home 😊Things were not really that different to be fair. Just the overall feeling was new.

Air dryers in restrooms had been sealed off to avoid spread of the virus via air. Instead there were paper towel touch-less dispensers. Everything else was the same.

There were recorded announcements being made consistently about the safety guidelines. There was no temperature scan at Minneapolis but it was done at the gate in Detroit. May be because it was the international leg?

Bring your own food if possible. If not, don’t worry you’d find something to eat

Most restaurants were closed. Some were open for takeouts only. Also, Delta gave out care packages instead of the regular refreshments. They were sealed in a see-through plastic bag - some kind-bars, m&ms, a small water, hand wipes, and paper napkin. Interestingly, you’re still allowed to bring your own food and beverages on board!

If the plane is a 3x3 seater per row, middle seats were kept empty. I felt great as I was the only one in my row 😈 If the plane is a 2x2 seater per row, only window seats were occupied. Who knows whether its effective against the virus but it sure acts as a pacifier! 

Time Saver Tip - Use ArriveCAN and eDeclaration apps to speed through immigration and customs! - https://www.canada.ca/en/mobile.html

I installed these apps, filled them up while I was still in Minneapolis. Didn’t have to fill out any paperwork at all after disembarking. Breezed through all checkpoint by showing the confirmation code the apps give at the end of filling travel details.

Something I LOVED - Luggage trolleys at Toronto airport are FREE!

Unlike in Minneapolis and many other US airports where you have to shell out 5 bucks to use a luggage trolley, Toronto airport provides them at no charge. This was such a godsend for me as I had zero cash (I was careless, learn from me lol).

BTW, I loaded ALL this by myself! So proud 💪🏼

Another VERY important detail - Let your banks know of your travel so they can whitelist transactions posted in Canada on your cards

This comes especially handy if you plan to use your overseas debit/credit cards for booking Uber or such app to go home from the airport. Not doing so will render all your transactions declined! My stupid ass forgot this but I was promptly able to add my Canadian card as a payment method.

I almost threw these out thats why they’re crumpled but here are the quarantine guidelines pamphlets that were given out at the Toronto airport

Don’t hesitate to call people out if they take off their masks at the airport or especially in the aircraft

Some people were being careless but I noticed they were being called out either by airline staff or co-passengers. This is not a light matter so if you feel threatened, do speak up! 

It’s my quarantine day 3 today and I’m alright so far 💃🏻

[inojudgeyou]

Bare Minimum Potato Fry - 20 Minutes Total

Hello again! Its me...yes me...yes yes the same amateur trying to help other amateurs. So today I’m going to show you how you can make the simplest Indian potato fry. Although one can make it in a much fancier way, let’s stick to a really really basic method so that you’re able to understand the flavour of each spice. Once you get a hang of the basic flavours, sky’s your limit. You’d be able to make your own recipes even! Because that’s the power Indian cuisine give you - flexibility :)

So let’s start with listing out each ingredient. Now although usually I don’t use measurements when I cook Indian, today I used measuring spoons so you’re safe...haha. Here goes:

1. Russet potato - 1 medium size

2. Oil - 1 tbsp + 1tbsp - Today I used ghee/clarified butter but you can use just about any edible oil! I’ve made this with Olive oil, Mustard oil, Coconut oil, Vegetable oil, Canola oil, Sunflower oil....you name it..lol...its all the same. But I’d recommend trying different oils each time so that, again, you’d understand the base flavour each oil infuses.

And I say 1tbsp + 1tbsp because I use one in the beginning and one later. You can totally skip the second one. I promise it’d still come out tasty! This is an everyday kind of dish so shouldn’t be toooo indulgent. If you make it once in a while to indulge, feel free to go crazy on the butter. As much as your heart will take :D

3. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

4. Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

5. Garlic clove - 1 big or 2 small - coarsely chopped. Optional

6. Red Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp - Now here feel free to replace this with chilli flakes of any kind, or fresh Jalapeno, or a chilli oil, or chilli sauce, or even Black Pepper. Anything that gives heat and that you like really.

7. Salt - to taste. I used 1/2 tsp

8. Lime/Lemon wedge - 1 - Optional

Now I’m gonna add pictures of each stage with the steps so that you get an idea of how your pan would look at each stage and you won’t get scared of your pan browning. It is normal!

STEPS:

1. Peel and chop the potatoes - yes, in any shape you’d like. Just try and keep the size consistent so that everything cooks evenly.

2. Wash & drain the chopped potatoes. This step is important coz we’re trying to get rid of the starch on the surface of each piece. Doing this prevents potatoes from sticking to the pan to a great extent. You may choose to not do this step and you’d still be fine, the recipe would still come out great. Just that you might have to scrape the pan more.

3. Heat a pan on Medium heat, add 1tsbp oil, Cumin seeds. As soon as you see some bubbles around the seeds, put in your potatoes and mix with the oil and Cumin seeds.

4. Once everything is mixed, sprinkle in turmeric and salt and give everything a good mix. Now cover the pan with a lid for 4 minutes.

5. Reduce the heat to a little lower than Medium. Open the lid and stir the potatoes. Might have to scrape a few. You should see a nice golden brown colour on some of them. At this point, add the chopped garlic and the second tbsp of oil. Mix everything and cover and cook for 4 mins. Please don’t add garlic earlier coz it will most likely burn as the potatoes fry. It’ll have plenty of time to roast if you add it now so don’t worry about raw garlic flavour.

6. Open the lid and check if potatoes are done. I just try and cut one with the spatula and if its smooth I call it done. So if you feel they’re not done, cover and cook for another 3 minutes at a time and stir.

7. Once potatoes are done, sprinkle 1 tsp of Red Chilli powder or your favourite source of heat. As soon you mix it with everything else, you’d get a wonderful waft of the chilli aroma. Cover and cook for two more minutes.

8. Serve and squeeze a little lime juice on top.

These potatoes are super versatile and can be enjoyed in a number of ways:

- In veggie tortilla

- In grilled cheese

- With fried rice/plain rice

- with flat breads

- or just on their own as a snack!

The whole thing took me 20 minutes from scratch including clicking pictures at each stage. So as you can see, pretty quick! I know 20 mins might not sound very quick to some but trust me, once you’ve made it a few times, you’d be able to make it in 10-15 mins. Plus you’re able to prep your tortillas or make rice while the potatoes cook. I’d take a complete home cooked meal in 20 mins over 30mins pizza delivery any day. Well, most days ;) Coz me loves pizza!

Hope this recipe helps you and makes you less afraid to try Indian cooking :) This is my first time blogging so I’d appreciate your feedback. Please let me know where I can improve and what I’m doing right, if at all <3

[inojudgeyou]

Bare Minimum Indian Cooking

So....Indian Food! Yummmmm

Most of us like Indian food and many of us love it. And many of us love it love it love it! But when it comes to cooking it, it seems like such an impossible task that many give up even before trying.

Well, worry not! Your friend here is gonna at the least try and make it easy for you :) Lets begin with the elephant in room - SPICES...Indian spices. Spices are a tricky lot for sure. Less of some won’t make your dish fail but more of some might very well. In this post I’ll begin with only 5 of the spices that you can use to make many many Indian dishes. These are the only five even I use almost 90% of the times. Baby Steps! 

First things first, if you’re not in India, please march over to an Indian store in your area. I hope you all have at least one around you. The reason I ask you to get the spices from an Indian store because not only do you know thats where Indians shop for spices, but also thats where you’ll get the cheapest spices. I’m always surprised by spice prices in your regular grocery chains such as Target, WholeFoods etc.

Now when you go the spice section, you might feel overwhelmed with the variety of brands you’d see for all these spices. And I’m not gonna suggest you to buy the most superior product, because more likely than not, its going to be more expensive too. If you’re a beginner, just get the cheapest! It might not be the best product but it’d still be good. This way you won’t waste a fortune on something you wanted to try just once for example.

An easy way to store your spices once you’ve opened the packets is to put them in air tight containers and put in a cool dry place. But if you cant do that, you can do what I do - store them in the freezer. I can’t say whether its a good way but it does keep my spices fresh and they last for long.

Cool, on with it. Here’s are the basic spices I’d recommend you get. I’d share the simplest of recipes in the subsequent posts.

1. Turmeric powder - adds subtle flavour and beautiful colour

2. Coriander powder / seeds - subtle flavour, use either the powder or crushed toasted seeds

3. Cumin seeds/ powder - strong flavour, use toasted seeds (I prefer) or in ground form

4. Red chilli powder - subtle flavour and heat. I recommend using Kashmiri chilli because while it adds strong colour and flavour, its quite mild in heat.

5. Garam Masala - spice blend

All of the above spices are pretty standard, but one - Garam Masala. Garam Masala is a blend of a bunch of roasted spices such as Bay Leaf, Cinnamon, Cardamom, and such. The thing with it is that its super versatile. There are tens of brands with multiple products each and no two will have the same taste. They’re sold with recipe specific names such as Meat Masala, Chicken Masala, Chole Masala etc. But keep in mind, they’re all just a blend of specific spices.

What I do is buy a few of them at a time, and then see for myself which I like the best flavour wise. In recent times I’ve liked MDH Rajmah Masala a lot. So you can begin with that if you’d like. Rajmah is Kidney beans in Hindi, if you were curious :)

If you’re someone who likes Indian food but dreads cooking it or cooking at all in general, I really really hope you go to the store and get just these 5 things. I promise you won’t regret it! My Blanket Hogger vouches :)