Tasty Tuesday: Best places to tryout exotic desserts in Hyderabad by TheTangyTales

Best places to tryout exotic desserts in Hyderabad are as follows:

1. Churrolto, Madhapur:

Their classic recipe Churros and Nutella & Espresso Choco dip was extremely good & decently priced. I would recommend that.It was crunchy fried churro stick which was lightly sweetened, when eaten with the yummiest nutella & chocolate dips it just melts in the mouth. The chef there presented and described the cakes very well. It’s a small place, but the variety they offer is vast!

Classic Opera Cake: This exquisite dessert Opera cake  is a French cake. It is made with layers of almond sponge cake  soaked in coffee syrup, layered with ganache and coffee buttercream,  and covered in a  chocolate glaze. But I personally found this cake delicious and overpriced!! So that was a drawback.

A churro is a fried-dough pastry— Originated from Spain and Portugal. They can either be thin (and sometimes knotted) or long and thick, where they are known as porras in some regions. They are normally eaten for breakfast dipped in champurrado, hot chocolate, dulce de leche or café con leche. Sugar is often sprinkled on top. Best tried at Churrolto, Hyderabad

2. Little Things, Madhapur:

This place has a great ambience with dim to moderate light and creative decor. Its heaven for dessert lovers. Cozy little place to hangout with friends for a casual chat over yummy desserts.

Chocolate crunch_ This amazing chocolate pastry was delicious, soft , rich in chocoa and you definitely cant stop at one bite

*Chocolate Mudpie*🥞 This amazing chocolate pudding in a small jar was delicious, soft , rich in chocoa and you definetely cant stop at one bite…

Must try dessert in Hyderabad at little things..

3.Quattro, Jubilee Hills:

The place is good. It has nice and decent ambience for a dine out with family or friends. The twist added to each an every item on the menu card using molecular gastronomy is commendable. For veg lovers its a paradise, for others too, you shouldn’t get disappointed that the place only serves veg food, because its food is worth trying. Things might be a little pricey but it’s all worth it when compared to the dedication and compassion with which the staff puts up your dish on the table!!

The best part is Chocolate Saturn is a must have dessert for all Choco lovers! It’s a huge golden ball of chocolate with brownie hidden inside. They serve it with hot molten chocolate which is used to melt the outer shell and reveal the dessert inside with nuts and cookies !!😋😋
So, i would definitely give this place a big thumbs up 👍. Its food with added twist of molecular gastronomy. Its a must try place for people looking for good ambience , good presentation & delicious food!

Chocolate Saturn

3. Stick house, Banjara Hills:

As kids we used to have Chocobar, Mango and Orange candies. I always used to fantasize having a stick Ice cream with flavours of my own choice and finally Stick house offers just that! You can choose the base of your own choice and dip it in the syrup you like topped with nuts of your choice! Toh kar lo bachpan ki yaadein taaza at Stick house…its a small outlet located at Banjara hills with Italian Gelato Ice cream froze to very low temperatures. So beat the blues at this cozy little place 🙂 Yummiest stick Ice creams and delightful varieties!

Caramel gelato with chocolate nutty dip..

Yummiest stick icecreams and delightful varieties!! .

Chocolate & caramel stick with dark chocolate dip and nutty toppings😋

 

5. Vac’s Pastries, Jubilee hills:

This place is literally a small wonder. Though its very small, the variety and quality of cakes, pasties, desserts & other confectionery they offer is very rich. One of my favorite place to have pastries.

Exotic mango_ A lovely dessert with tangy taste of mango in the crispy shell & creamy core within. It was truly a delight to have it!

6. Gourmet Baklava, Banjara Hills:

So this is the only place in Hyderabad which serves baklava, a dessert which gets its flavor from the streets of Istanbul. This Turkish delicacy comes in many varieties.

Baklava is a rich, sweet dessert pastry made of layers of filo filled with chopped nuts and sweetened and held together with syrup or honey. They also serve kunafe, black coffee and Turkish tea. Its a small outlet with seating facility available. Its good to see the flavors of Turkey coming to our very own city.

7. Cafe Coffee Day:

This classic place has lots of varieties of coffees & desserts to offer..

Dark Chocolate Fantasy cake Its delicious dark chocolate cake with layers of rich chocolate cream in between…its jus heaven for chocolovers!! You jus wanna keep diggin into it more n more

 

Guest Post by TheTangyTales. Follow this amazing food blogger on instagram for more updates…

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Silent Sunday: Images that speak..

World No Tobacco Day 2018: Impact of Tobacco on Cardiovascular Health

Tobacco is a potentially lethal substance which responsible for more than 1 in 10 fatalities globally, with India featuring among the top four users of tobacco. About 11.2 percent smokers worldwide are Indian.

World No Tobacco day is celebrated each year on 31st May.  Let’s discuss more about this years theme ‘impact of tobacco on cardiovascular health’.

• Male and female smokers are at greater risk of myocardial infarction, recurrent heart attacks, and sudden death from coronary heart disease than nonsmokers.

• Several mechanisms contribute to ischemic heart disease among smokers, including atherosclerosis, thrombosis, coronary artery spasm, cardiac arrhythmias, etc.,

• About one third of all heart attack deaths and 40% of stroke deaths are attributable to tobacco use.

• Acutely, smoking may cause myocardial ischemia.

• After one year of smoking cessation, the excess risk of Chronic Heart Disease mortality is reduced by about one-half and continues to decline with time.

Tobacco and its effect on other organs:

• Around 2500 people are dying each day because of the tobacco use. Both, smoking (cigarette, Bidi) and chewing tobacco (gutkha, pan-masala etc.) leads to mouth, lung, Larynx, oesophagus, stomach cancers, etc.

• India has the largest number of the oral cancer cases in the world due to tobacco use.

• Tobacco users are 2 to 3 times more likely to develop heart diseases and paralysis.

• Tobacco use accounts for more than 90% of lung cancers and other Respiratory diseases. Tobacco use causes impotence in men and reduced fertility in women.

• Tobacco use increases risk of getting diabetes.

•  Real Treatment is by:

  • Motivation

  • Commitment

  • Determination and

  • Effort and support in the struggle to quit smoking.

• People do not quit smoking, INDIVIDUALS do! Just like only you can quit smoking. No one can quit smoking for YOU. Only YOU CAN…..

• You better Quit smoking before Life quits you..

  Stay Fit & Stay healthy….

Nipah Virus(NiV): Everything about this deadly virus

There has been reports of Nipah Virus outbreak in Calicut Kerala with a death toll of 14. The mortality rate has been quite high – more than 50%. So, Let’s know more about this deadly virus.

1. What is Nipah Virus?

Nipah Virus (NiV) is an emerging infectious disease which first appeared in domestic pigs in Malaysia and Singapore in 1998 and 1999.

There is evidence of Nipah infection among several species of domestic animals including dogs, cats, goats, and horses. Sheep may also be affected. However, since the initial outbreak it has primarily affected humans in different parts of the world.

The disease causes respiratory and occasionally nervous signs in pigs. It has devastating zoonotic potential. The organism which causes Nipah Virus encephalitis is an RNA virus of the family Paramyxoviridae, genus Henipavirus, and is closely related to Hendra virus. Hendra virus, formerly known as equine morbillivirus pneumonia or acute equine respiratory syndrome, is an acute, viral respiratory infection of horses and humans that has been reported in Australia.

Nipah Virus infection, also known as Nipah Virus encephalitis, was first isolated and described in 1999. The name, Nipah, is derived from the village in Malaysia where the person from whom the virus was first isolated succumbed to the disease.

2. Where is the disease found?

There have been Nipah Virus infection outbreaks in pigs Malaysia and Singapore, and human disease in Malaysia, Singapore, India, and Bangladesh. Evidence of the virus without clinical disease has also been found in fruit bats in Cambodia, Thailand and Madagascar.

3. How is Nipah transmitted and spread?

Fruit bats, also known as‘flying foxes,’ of the genus Pteropus are natural reservoir hosts of the Nipah and Hendra viruses. The virus is present in bat urine and potentially, bat feces, saliva, and birthing fluids. Perhaps as a result of deforestation programmes, the Malaysian pig farms where the disease first originated had fruit trees which attracted the bats from the tropical forest, thus exposing domestic pigs to bat urine and feces. It is thought that these excretions and secretions initiated the infection in pigs which was then followed by a rapid spread through intensively reared pigs. Furthermore, transmission between farms may be due to fomites – or carrying the virus on clothing, equipment, boots, vehicles, etc.

The virus is present in bat urine and potentially, bat feces, saliva, and birthing fluids.

4. What is the public health risk associated with this disease?

Nipah Virus is a zoonotic disease. Transmission to humans in Malaysia and Singapore has almost always been from direct, contact with the excretions or secretions of infected pigs. Reports from outbreaks in Bangladesh suggest transmission from bats without an intermediate host by drinking raw palm sap contaminated with bat excrement, or climbing trees coated in bat excrement. In Bangladesh and India, there have been reports of possible human-to-human transmission of the disease so precautions are necessary for hospital workers caring for infected patients.

Precautions should also be taken when submitting and handling laboratory samples, as well as in slaughterhouses. Typically the human infection presents as an encephalitic syndrome marked by fever, headache, drowsiness, disorientation, mental confusion, coma, and potentially death. During the outbreak in Malaysia, up to 50% of clinically apparent human cases died. There is no specific treatment for Nipah Virus. Supportive care is the general treatment for this disease.

5. What are the clinical signs of Nipah Virus?

Nipah Virus in pigs affects the respiratory and nervous systems. It is known as porcine respiratory and neurologic syndrome, porcine respiratory and encephalitic syndrome (PRES), and barking pig syndrome (BPS). It is a highly contagious disease in pigs; however the clinical signs vary depending on the age and the individual animal’s response to the virus. In general, mortality (death due to the disease) is low except in piglets. However, morbidity (illness from the disease) is high in all age groups. Most pigs develop a febrile respiratory disease with a severe cough and difficulty breathing. While the respiratory signs predominate, encephalitis has been described, particularly in sows and boars, with nervous signs including twitching, trembling, muscle fasciculation, spasms, muscle weakness, convulsions, and death. Some animals, however, remain asymptomatic. Natural infection of dogs with NiV causes a distemper like syndrome with a high mortality (death) rate.

6. How is the disease diagnosed?

The disease is difficult to diagnose based on clinical signs alone, however confirmation can be made through prescribed laboratory tests (OIE Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals).

7. What is being done to prevent or control this disease?

Prevention and control measures focus on immediate eradication by mass culling of infected and in-contact pigs and on antibody surveillance of high risk farms to prevent future outbreaks. After culling, the burial sites are disinfected with chlorinated lime. It is also recommended to use sodium hypochlorite (bleach) to disinfect the contaminated areas and equipment. Other important control measures have been a ban on transporting pigs within the countries affected, a temporary ban on pig production in the regions affected, as well as improvement of biosecurity practices. Education and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by persons exposed to potentially infected pigs is highly recommended. Also, improved hygiene at pig operations is suggested.

One of the most important biosecurity measures for affected areas is to decrease the likelihood of the bat reservoir coming into contact with pig product ion facilities. Research into development of vaccines has been ongoing in Australia and France.

Precautions to be taken:

1. Be highly suspicious about any fever with respiratory symptoms of 2 or 3 days suddenly showing signs of encephalitis

2. Ensure you wear a mask during any interaction with patients in OPD / wards. Usual surgical mask is enough, but don’t use it for too long. Change mask!!

3. Proper hand washing and hand hygiene is very important. Ensure there’s no laxity in this…

Stay tuned for more updates…

Source: WHO, Google, NDTV etc.,

Our Short film ‘Behind the mask’: Won 2nd prize at National Level..

India is a country with a population of 1.3 billions of which 2.8 millions are suffering with tuberculosis and 4 lakh TB patients die annually, making it Nations biggest enemy!!

But sadly, not everyone is aware of the importance of early diagnosis and proper treatment, which can drastically reduce TB related deaths!!!

This issue needs to be addressed soon to prevent TB related deaths due to ignorance about the availability of free diagnosis and treatment.

We made a short film on the awareness of this disease & which in turn might SAVE A LIFE, then I think we are doing our job for the welfare of the society…..

We need more LEADERS FOR A TB FREE WORLD..

And the results are overwhelming..

Our small effort to make this short film won us awards in the national and state level given by IAPSM. We won 2nd prize in the national level & 1st prize in the state level.

As doctors we do our job by trying to spread awareness in every way possible, be it in the hospital, in family, amongst friends or in the society by making such a video. I hope and intend to keep spreading awareness by means of short films or other modalities possible.

After winning an award in national level , there were several articles on our short film & our team on almost all the local newspapers. Thank you every one for encouraging me and my team.

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Here is the link for our short film..

Saturday story: Forgiveness..

The late king of a community had ten wild dogs. He used them to torture and eat any of his servants who made a mistake. One of the servants gave an opinion which was wrong, and the king didn’t like it at all. So he ordered that the servant be thrown to the dogs.
The servant said, “I served you for ten years, and you do this to me? Please give me ten days before throwing me to those dogs!” The king agreed.

In those ten days, the servant went to the guard who looks after the dogs and told him he would like to serve the dogs for the next ten days. The guard was baffled but agreed, and the servant started feeding the dogs, cleaning for them, bathing them, and providing all sorts of comfort for them.

When the ten days were over, the king ordered that the servant be thrown to the dogs for his punishment. When he was thrown in, we were all amazed to see the ravenous dogs only licking the feet of the servant!
The king, baffled at what he was seeing, said,
”What has happened to my dogs?”
The servant replied, “I served the dogs for only ten days, and they didn’t forget my service. Yet I served you for a whole ten years and you forgot all, at my first mistake!”
The king realised his mistake and ordered the servant to be set free.

This post is a message to all those who forget the good things a person did for them as soon as the person makes a mistake towards them. Don’t put out the history that is filled with good because of a mistake you don’t like.

Sometimes, we are blinded by the one mistake that was committed to us and forgetting all the good things that a person did. Just remember, everybody commits mistake and we are not exempted from that rule. The truth is, God sometimes allowed others to commit mistakes to us for us to learn how to forgive. We should not let hatred control us instead we do otherwise.

Source: Google

World Asthma day 2018: Spreading Awareness..

Today is World Asthma Day and the theme for this year is ‘Never too early, never too late. It’s always the right time to address airways disease.’ First Tuesday of May is commemorated as world asthma day in order to raise awareness about Asthma. 

Why is it celebrated as World Asthma  day?

World Asthma Day makes the people to provide each and every knowledge about the Asthma and to get them every preventive measures for their own health. It makes the people to come together to spread the knowledge about the prevention, causes and control of the Disease. 

It is Organised by Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), this year marks the 20th annual World Asthma Day in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO). The WHO states that a total of 235 million people are suffering from asthma. As a part of World Asthma Day, We Pulmonology residents from SVS medical college, Mahbubnagar gave an awareness talk in a Multinational Company about asthma and the risk factors related to it. I am going to discuss more about asthma in this post…

What is asthma?

Asthma is a chronic lung disease which causes difficulty in breathing, wheezing, Chest tightness, Coughing and affects sufferers to varying degrees, asthma is caused by swelling and inflammation of the bronchial tubes, sometimes in reaction to allergens, exercise, stress or changes in temperature.

Is it curable?

As a health condition, asthma cannot be cured but can be controlled by bringing in a few lifestyle changes. It is not usually curable but can be controlled to certain extents, depending on how it affects the sufferer. If it is controlled then sufferers can live relatively normal lives, although some triggers may have to be avoided.

What are the causes of asthma?

• Exposure to Indoor allergens  like Dust mites, pollution and pet dander etc.,

• Outdoor allergens (such as pollen etc.,)

• Tobacco smoke

• Chemical irritants in the workplace

• Air pollution.

How is controlled?

Asthma is controlled by prevention medications for symptoms and relief medication for flare-ups of asthma symptoms. Education and understanding are keys to effective control of asthma, which can be fatal if not managed properly.

World Asthma Day educates and raises awareness of the condition in the hope of relieving suffering and reducing deaths.

Key facts about Asthma:

• According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) report, India has estimated 15-20 million asthmatics.

• Some 235 million people currently suffer from asthma. It is a common disease among children.

• Most asthma-related deaths occur in low- and lower-middle income countries.

• According to the latest WHO estimates, released in December 2016, there were     383 000 deaths due to asthma in 2015.

My Special thanks to Dr. Meghana Subash & Dr. Amman Goel for making this talk a successful one..

That’s me while speaking…

 

Few Tips to prevent Asthma Attacks:

1. Regular exercise:  Exercise helps by strengthening your breathing muscles, boosting your immune system and helping to keep a healthy body weight. The key to exercising safely is to make sure your asthma is under control before you start. .

2. Avoid Triggers: If you are allergic to certain foods, you should avoid them. Allergies can trigger Asthma.

3. Eat plenty of Fruits & Vegetables & foods that are rich in Vitamin-C & E, Beta carotene, Flavinoids, Magnesium, selenium & Omega 3 fatty acids which are found in Fish like salmon, Tuna and sardines and some plant sources, like Flaxseed.

4. Avoid Trans-fats & Omega 6 fatty acids. There’s some evidence that eating Omega6 fats and Transfats which are found in some Margarines and processed foods, may worsen asthma.

5. Most important tip is that make sure that you take your asthma medication as prescribed by your doctor. Many people think they can skip their asthma preventing (controller) medications when they don’t feel any symptoms – that’s not true. Asthma is a chronic (long-term) disease. If you have asthma, you have it all the time, even when you don’t feel symptoms. You have to manage your asthma every day, not just on days when you feel symptoms.

6. Learn how to use your inhaler properly

7. Quit smoking and avoid second-hand smoke.

A beautiful day: Exploring Perambikulam Tiger reserve, Aliyardam & Masanamman temple

Day 1: We started from Coimbatore at around 8:00 AM in the morning then we had a stopover at Pollachi for Breakfast at the popular vegetarian Gowri krishna restaurant. The tiffins here were delicious. Then we started to Anamalai Masani Amman temple which is located at Annamalai Hills, in Coimbatore district, enroute Topslip.

Roti (Indian Naan)

Paneer Curry

Idli-wada

Masani Amman Temple: “Goddess of Justice”

This temple is believed to answer the prayers of the devotees in 3 weeks! Masani Amman Temple, also known as Annamalai Masani Amman Temple is located around 25 kms from Pollachi in Tamil Nadu.

The temple is dedicated to Goddess Arulmigu Masani Amman who is believed to be a ‘Goddess of Justice’.

Interesting Stories behind the temple:

According to an interesting legend, during the Sangam Era, Annamalai was ruled by a chief called Nannan. He had a big mango grove and was so possessive of it that he appointed check post officials to guard the trespassers. It so happened that one day a woman was bathing in the Aliyar River and a mango came floating to her in the waters. Unable to resist tasting it, she bit it. This was reported to the ruler and the innocent woman was produced before him. She pleaded that she did not steal the mango. Nonetheless, she was executed. Angered by the unjustifiable ruler, her kins killed him in a battle. People then started worshiping her to honor her martyrdom and soon a temple was built for the same. Since the lady was killed, the deity was called as Shmasani, which in Sanskrit means ‘graveyard’. Later, the deity came to be called as Masani.

Furthermore the temple is said to bless barren women with children and pregnant women with good health..

The Deity of Masani Amman Temple, is one who grants justice to her strong believers. The 15ft long idol is in lying position with four hands, each holding snake, trident, skull and drum respectively. The Neethi Kal, or the Stone of Justice, is a stone that is present in the temple that is believed to have unique powers. Devotees who lost their belongings or were cheated in business by their enemies etc. come here seeking justice. They grind red chillies with the stone and pray. This is believed to free them from all kinds of evil in life.

Then we headed to Topslip, which is at a distance of 30 kms from Pollachi & 76kms from Coimbatore,.

Topslip is the Tiger Reserve Forest in small part of Annamalai Tiger Reserve, which is separated from the Nilgiri Hills by Palghat Gap in north. It got its name during British era, as lots of its timber slipped down to the plains below. It is famous for the elephant camp, wildlife safaris, pleasant weather and beautiful views of Annamalai Hills.

Drive through the forest was very pleasant.

Fallen trees

Forest Department organizes elephant safaris and jeep rides into the sanctuary. A four hours trek around the forest along with a guide is also available here. Unfortunately due to some issues, forest department  had temporarily closed elephant safari & jeep safari.

Beautiful view 

Parambikulam: Well maintained Tiger reserve

So we drove to Parambikulam which is just 4 Kms from Topslip. Parambikulam Tiger Reserve is a well protected ecological portion in the Nelliampathy – Anamalai landscape of the Southern Western Ghats in India. It is located in the Palakkad District of Kerala.

One has to pay fees for park entry ticket & cross this forest check point in order to get an access to the tiger reserve.

That’s me at the entrance

Considering its biological richness, abundance of wildlife and landcape beauty makes Parambikulam Tiger Reserve  one of the most attractive places in the entire stretch of Western Ghats.

Journey itself was a destination..

Since we went on a day trip we took Van safari which was Rs. 200 per head. They wont start the trip until they’ve minimum of 20 passengers. So we had to wait for around 30 mins for the other passengers to gather.

What did we spot?

Bison

Indian Bison

Monkey & her baby

Monkeys surrounded us in Parambikulam village

Peacock..

A herd of Elephants spotted ..

Parambikulam- Aliyar Project: Top ranked Embankment dam

It is an embankment dam on the Parambikulam River in Parambikulam tiger reserve. It ranks number one in India as well as in the top ten embankment dams in the world in volume in the year 2000.

Parambikulam Reservoir view

Parambikulam dam

Parambikulam river

We spent some time sitting under this tree..

Kanimara Teak Tree: India’s oldest tree

The bus safari took us to Kanimara Teak tree  which was 450 years old. And it is believed to be one of the oldest tree in India.

Enroute Kanimara Teak tree

Captured by Gopro hero5. This is Kanimara Teak tree, India’s oldest tree..

Sunset at Aliyar dam:

Aliyar Dam Reservoir Park is located on the way to Valparai from Pollachi. Placed at the foothills of Valparai. The dam has a park, garden & play area for kids. The dam offers a relaxing environment as the surrounding is beautiful with mountains and greenery all around. A nominal entrance fee is charged for entry into the dam premises..

We managed to explore a historical temple, An adventurous tiger safari & a soothing sunset at Aliyar dam all in a day. Then we headed to Valparai. Overnight stay at Valparai. ..

view from top of the dam

Steps

Beautiful isn’t it?

Park area

Gopro hero5 with Goscene360 capturing 360degree view of Aliyar dam

Sunset

Try to visit this place for sunset

Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show..

Info from my perspective:

1. Parambikulam Park entry fee  is Rs. 23/head for Indian citizens and Rs.300 for foreigners. Vehicle entry fee for  is Rs.70 for car, Rs.50 for a still camera and 200 for a video camera.
2. Jungle Safari per head Rs.250. Safari duration 3 to 3.5 hours. Timings 7:00 am to 3:00 pm.
3. Aliyar dam entry fee Rs.5/head. Timings: 9:00 AM to 6:30 PM.
4. You can enjoy your trip leisurely by staying in Tree house & going on a night safari.

Stay tuned to see Valparai through my eyes

Behind the mask: A short film by Post graduates of Svs medical College, Telangana

This Video is made to raise awareness in the community regarding TB on the occasion of WORLD TB DAY – MARCH 24, 2018. As India is determined to eliminate TB by 2025, we need more participation from the community to spread awareness about the early diagnosis and completion of treatment of TB. So be a leader for a TB-free world.

This Video is also being considered for a TB awareness campaign under the aegis of IAPSM, kindly LIKE and SHARE the video as much as you can and contribute your part for a TB-free world.

Happy Ugadi: “Vilambi Nama Samvatsaram”

Welcome the New Year with complete anticipation, hope and eagerness. Look forward to a bountiful year of prosperity, satisfaction and peace. Have a very happy Ugadi!

Ugadi Pachadi is a Ceremonial dish. It is made of new Jaggery, raw mango pieces and Neem flowers and new tamarind which truly reflect life – a combination of six different tastes sweet, sour, spice, salt, tanginess and bitter tastes symbolizing happiness, disgust, anger, fear, surprise and sadness.  

Ugadi Specials: Bhakshalu, Chinthapandu pulihora, vadalu, Aloo curry, Sambar, Mango pickle, Ugadhi pachadi, Vankaya koora etc.,

Me with my Family wishing you all a happy Ugadi..

To know more about Ugadi check out my old post..