May 2021

Cockrell Butterfly Center, Houston Museum

Environment, Houston, Travel, USA / By / July 21, 2021

A visit to the Houston Museum of Natural Science yielded a wonderful surprise. During my sojourn to my company headquarters in Houston, Texas, I used my free weekend to visit one of the most interesting sightseeing places there – The Museum of Natural Science. While I was superficially aware of its attractions, the Butterfly Center coupled with the Hall of Entomology was like an exciting find – a wondrous hidden gem.

A Specially Designed Natural Habitat

The butterfly conservatory is a 3-story glass structure which has been built to emulate a tropical rainforest. It is home to thousands of butterflies of varied species, which are all allowed to grow and thrive in their natural habitat. The butterfly museum, called the Cockrell Butterfly Center, boasts of a central display of a 50-foot-high waterfall and numerous tropical plants and flowers.

Upon entering, my senses were hit with an explosion of colours and movement. Unlike zoos or other museums, these butterflies are live ones and roam around freely in the simulated forest. The innumerable brightly coloured creatures are a delight to watch. I spent ages going around the place, watching these butterflies and their vivid patterned wings, observing the jewel like insects fluttering about or landing on the leaves or flowers. There was also an iguana!

Entomology Hall

The Brown Hall of Entomology precedes the Butterfly Center; it is located on the same floor as the entrance to the latter. The entire floor is dedicated to a large plethora of insects and their study. The experience is an interactive and educating one. From introducing me to new species and hitherto unknown insects to informing me about the sounds they make to their food habits and their life cycles.

There are both live insects as well as preserved specimens The exhibit also contains an area for cocoons from where butterflies actually hatch out! That is something to look out for. There is another play area for further interaction and games with these arthropods. I did not visit that because it was more for kids.

  • Cocoons…some have metamorphosed!

Tip: Learn more here –

  1. The Rainforest
  2. Hall of Entomology
  3. https://www.hmns.org/cockrell-butterfly-center/our-residents/
  4. https://www.hmns.org/cockrell-butterfly-center/pollinator-gardening/

Education and Conservation

While this is mostly an educational experience, this museum does its part in conservation of nature. Breeding new insects, creating a natural, sustainable environment for them goes a long way towards preservation of nature as it was meant to be. Bringing about awareness and knowledge leads to appreciation of God’s creatures which in turn help the next generation carry on the job of environmental preservation and enhancement.

I am doing my bit by raising awareness through this post with the aid of Blogchatter’s Cause a Chatter campaign.

Other Exhibits of Interest

The Houston Museum of Natural Science has various other highly interesting exhibits and shows. Notable ones are:

  • The Paleontology Exhibit – let’s face it, dinosaurs are always interesting!
  • Foucault Pendulum – mimicking the Earth’s rotation.
  • Hall of Gems and Minerals
  • The Planetarium – the Black Holes show is very interesting, and I highly recommend it.

Tip: The museum is full of interesting attractions, you may want to check out the various offerings online to help plan your visit. The HMNS.

Tip: Entry tickets are for $25 while the special exhibits and shows require extra tickets. Butterfly Center (including Entomology Hall) is ~$9.

Check current prices here – https://www.hmns.org/visit/hours-and-pricing/. Also check out the safety policies and precautions: https://www.hmns.org/visit/health/

Z for Zhūròu

Food / By / May 4, 2021

Zhũròu means pork (literally: pig meat) in Chinese. This post is an appreciation post in an ode to my ongoing love affair with all pork dishes. While I have never had the courage to cook pork at home, I have had dishes all round the world and in India as well which have made me go cross-eyed. This meat is not very common in India, however, there are some fabulous places to go to where you can satisfy your pork craving.

Local Favorites

My recommendations for Mumbai are:

  • Imbiss: For melt in the mouth, baby back spare ribs.
  • Indigo: Barbecue ribs in delicious gravy.
Imbiss’ dish

Around the World

  • China: As part of various dishes likes pork dumplings, string beans dish with diced pork meat etc.
  • US: Here, I have had quintessential Texas barbecued pork, giant pulled pork burgers and sandwiches.
  • Spain:
  • London: At a Spanish restaurant just off Fulham.
  • Pan fried spicy pork @Beijing, China
  • Braised pork belly with truffle sauce @Hakkasan, Mumbai
  • Pork ribs @London, Spanish restaurant
  • Barbecue pork with mashed potato, veggies and pudding @London pub
Excursions to world-wide restaurants

In everyday life, I have bacon for breakfast occasionally and ham salami for sandwiches. With mayonnaise and cheese, these make for the ultimate breakfast sandwiches!

This post was written for Blogchatter A2Z challenge; Final Day! Letter no. 26 – “Z”.

Y for Yellow Moong Daal

Food, Indian Cuisine / By / July 25, 2021
Moong Dal

Another quintessential Bengali dish, this recipe is my mother’s – though I suspect it is the same across most bengali households. Daal is a part of a bengali’s daily lunch however the masoor daal is more common. This yellow moong daal dish is made occasionally and is considered a delicacy somewhat – a king among daal if you will. It’s called sona moong because of its bright golden colour – sona means gold or golden. This golden variety of the moong is indigenous to Bengal.

Ingredients:

Yellow Moong – 6-7 tbsp.

Salt – to taste

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp.

Oil – 1 tsp.

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp.

Cumin powder – 1.5 tsp.

Ginger, grated – 1 tsp.

Green chili – 1, sliced

Sugar – 1.5 tbsp.

Water – 3-4 cups

Method:

  1. Dry roast the daal in a pan till they are deep golden in colour.
  2. Boil the daal with salt and turmeric powder, either in a pan or in a pressure cooker.
  3. Heat oil in a pan. Fry cumin seeds till they crackle and give off their aroma.
  4. Add chilli, cumin powder, grated ginger and fry.
  5. Now add the boiled daal and sugar and bring to a boil.
  6. Adjust taste and thickness as required. This is supposed to a sweet and salty daal with the sweet being slightly heavier.
  7. Serve with hot rice and enjoy!

Tip: I generally add a step after (2) and beat the boiled daal to a smooth mixture.

This post was written for Blogchatter A2Z challenge; Day 25 – Letter “Y”.

X for X factor

Food / By / July 25, 2021

X factor includes those category of ingredients or food which no matter what dish it is added to, gives it an extra twist which changes the dynamics of the dish and elevates it to another level.

Chaat Masala – This is an Indian blended spice which consists of salt, cumin, dry mango, pepper, ginger etc. The exact constituents and their proportions are known only to the brands who manufacture them – which is fine by me. It lends mystery to the exotic spice. Sprinkle it over salads, raw fruits, roast chicken, your street foods like rolls, papri chaat etc. or even over your meat preparations and behold the transformation – it adds a delicious zing to any dish!

Kasundi – This is the Bengali mustard sauce, consists of local / indigenous mustard seeds which have their own special aroma, few spices and salt. It is the best accompaniment to any and all deep fried foods like fish fry, egg devil, chicken cutlet etc. None of these feel complete without our favorite dipping sauce. I have even found that dipping the side salads in kasundi gives even the salad an additional wow factor.

Mayonnaise – Even though this is basically a dipping sauce, the use mayonnaise is many and varied. The classic version is made of raw egg yolk, oil, vinegar, and lemon juice. However, eggless versions are also available – made of milk. Slather it onto your bread or add a dollop to your sandwich or wrap fillings – it transforms the ordinary burger into a classy one. You can also use it as a dressing for your salad! And finally, use it as a dipping sauce or aioli for your pakodas, french fries and pretty much any fried items.

Lemon Juice – A little drizzle of lemon juice can add a whole new level to any bland dish or even an already tasty dish. For example, ghoogni / chickpea masala or roast or baked fish / chicken and finally adding it to all kinds of salads.

White Sauce – While this may not have such a wide variety of uses such as the above, this Italian marvel can add such deliciousness to a lot of dishes. Add it baked vegetables, serve it with your grilled chicken and ofcourse it’s the best pasta sauce. It is made of milk, cheese, flour, and butter. Called a béchamel, it can also be used a base sauce for making sauces like mornay sauce, cream sauce etc.

Do you know of anything which falls into this category? Do share your opinion in the comments – I would be highly interested.

This post was written for Blogchatter A2Z challenge; Day 24 – Letter “X”.

W for Whole Roast Chicken

Continental Cuisine, Food, Indian Cuisine / By / July 25, 2021

This is a dish which was adopted in my kitchen out of a combination of pure laziness of a couch potato and the utter greed of a foodie. I didn’t feel like working too hard for a dinner, yet I wanted something decadent to pamper by taste buds. Even though it didn’t happen on that very day, the idea was born. It does require pre-thought to buy the main protein but the ingredients are ones found in every Indian kitchen and the steps laughably simple.

Ingredients:

Whole Chicken – 1 (~800gms.)

Curd – 4 tbsp.

Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tbsp.

Red Chilli powder – 1 tsp.

Salt – to taste

Cumin powder – 1 tsp.

Corinader powder – 1 tsp.

Garam masala – 1 tsp.

Meat Masala – 2 tsp.

OR,

Tandoori masala – 4 tsp.

Oil – 1 tbsp.

Method:

  1. Wash the whole chicken thoroughly. Pat dry. With a fork, make pricks in the chicken so that the spices are absorbed well.
  2. Add all the ingredients and mix well. Massage onto the chicken with a gentle hand. This helps in absorption. Marinade for 2 hours at the least.
  3. Preheat an oven to 180°C for 10 minutes.
  4. Place the marinaded chicken on the rotisserie stick, making sure the weight is distributed evenly on both sides. Tie the legs together if required.
  5. Now cook for 40 minutes at 180°C.
  6. Turn up the heat to 220°C and cook for 15 more minutes or until chicken and spices are cooked.
  7. Garnish with chaat masala and serve hot with green chutney and sliced onions.

This dish is best accompanied with garlic toast speaking from personal experience, but it is an amazing meal on its own. It requires minimal amount of intervention but it gives you the maximum enriching experience!

This post was written for Blogchatter A2Z challenge; Day 23 – Letter “W”.