“Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”
― Napoleon Bonaparte
― Napoleon Bonaparte
Since I'm in office pretty much the entire day on weekdays and hate shopping malls, the advent of online shopping has saved me from the shame of having to dress in tunics made of A4 sheets. The big problems with online shopping are of course that (a) you haven't really seen what you're buying, and (b) you may not want to share your debit/credit card details with every random website out there. Since I've already burnt my fingers on a lot of e-stores I thought I'd share the fruits of my (expensively procured) wisdom.
The Good
Bhane: Gorgeous, simple, largely pure cotton and entirely made in India, Bhane has rightfully been called India's answer to Gap. I'm in love with the superior quality, the functionality of design, friendly customer care and adorable packaging. I mean these guys actually use normal people for models! How can you not love them? Cash on delivery available.
Limeroad: A wide range of clothes, jewelry and home decor items at reasonable prices. The photos are accurate and the delivery quick. Cash on delivery available.
Gilt: This site has great deals on super luxurious brands like Valentino, Chanel and Hermes along with those a rung or two lower like Kate Spade, Trina Turk etc. They host flash sales with a limited number of items, the site is easy to use and the product photos/descriptions accurate. Credit Card payment only.
Foodesto: A good resource for most basic kitchen needs, this site has a good range of food, serving dishes and baking paraphernalia. I got my measuring spoons and cups from here and though its a little pricey they are great quality. Cash on delivery available.
Craftgully: A great resource for crafting materials including scrapbooking paper, beads, paints, washi tape and a whole lot more. Very useful if you have a DIY project on your to do list but don't have the time to hunt down crochet tape in the right shade of lilac. Craft gully probably has it in lilac, pale blue, pastel green and black. Cash on delivery available.
The Bad
Rooja: A strange smorgasbord of clothes and accessories, what you see here is probably not what you'll get. The photos are plenty misleading, you can expect a call a few weeks after your order informing you that your stuff is out of stock and even if you manage to get your things, the quality is nothing to throw a party about.
Done by None: Most of the products look tacky. I managed to find something I liked, placed my order and got a call 2 weeks later telling me half my order was out of stock. I also learned (the hard way) that their shoe sizes aren't standard and their interpretation of size 39 is atleast 1 size smaller than what my foot is used to. Anyone wear size 7 shoes? I have a pair of brand new baby blue ballet shoes for you.
Shop In On It: The usual bright baubles, moustache earrings, cluster necklaces and plastic bits and bobs. Nothing new or particularly exciting.
Looking Forward to
Catbird NYC: I'm in love with these delicate designs.
Zansaar: Hosts a really wide range of imported kitchenware with almost everything an amateur cook or baker could need. I've just placed an order for a candy thermometer and am waiting to see how this turns out.
Page 99: Every avid reader knows that books can be incredibly, physically beautiful. This site reminds me of walking into a dusty old bookstore filled with written treasures. An absolutely jaw dropping collection.
This post has been far longer and more complicated than what I usually come up with so I'll offset it with a really simple peanut chutney recipe. You probably already have all ingredients in your kitchen already and I'll eat my laptop if it takes you more than 10 minutes to make. A nicely lively chutney that you can use as a dip, sandwich spread, spread for rolls or even a thick salad dressing.
Serves 4
Recipe adapted from Good Food magazine
1 cup peanuts (without that annoying skin they tend to have)
3 -4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste
Juice of 1 lemon
How to:
Throw everything into mixer and pulse till you have a chutney. If you need to, add a little more olive oil to make a smooth paste. Check the taste and see if you want to add anything more.
4 comments:
Enjoyed the first bit :) thanks! However, is raw garlic paste okay in the peanut chutney? It trends to get smelly if it's not fried right.. Especially since there's a good 2 tablespoons of it in there?
Hey Kanchan! Thanks for commenting! Definitely temper the amount of garlic you use to your liking, I like the flavor A LOT and so use tons in my recipes. Unless you're really averse to it, raw garlic shouldn't be a problem. It's often used in salad dressing, sandwich mixes etc without being cooked.
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