Hello! It’s been well over a month since I have written anything in the blog. I have been on sabbatical from the website— more so because I couldn’t give it the time deserves, but also because I felt like taking a little break from writing. Since what I mostly write are things happening around me, I wanted to take the time and really cherish the moments to make sure I keep on writing. I don’t know if that sounds pretentious or not but I hope that make sense.

January has been one of those crazy months where it both seems like it’s flown by really quick while at the same time I can’t remember things that happened in the start of the month. Do you know what I mean? Haha so as an exercise, I wanted to list down all the things that happened with me! I want to call it the good, the not so good, and the amazing!

The Good

• Trip to Kasauli: Natasha and I took a quick, fairly impromptu trip to Kasauli for New Year’s Eve. We thought it was smart to go from an already frigid Delhi, to up The Himalayas. The trip was great, to be honest, and it felt nice to start the year out with my favourite human (and to see the stars; something us Delhi-folk we rarely get to see)

• Won a new client: On the work front, we finally won a new client. I will now be leading digital strategy for carpool startup, sRide! It’s been a month since we won that business and it has been H E C T I C, to say the least.

• Worked on a new content series that should be out soon: The blog has been steadily expanding. I have been creating long-form content, photos, videos, and even hosting offline events. I guess it was time for me to move into audio too! I’m releasing a podcast very soon! More info soon soon soon!

• Celebrated Shirin’s engagement!: One of my dearest friends, Shirin got engaged this month as well! Seeing her grow up makes me realise how close I am to the next steps in life which are both exciting and terrifying.

The not so good

• I got violent food poisoning in December that extended into my trip to Kasauli. While it was painful for, I fell worse for Natasha who had to be there and take care :/

• Lost a dream job opportunity: I rarely search for jobs but sometimes when opportunities come do come my way, I get very very excited. I start building up life with said new job and this one was amazing! But alas, I guess there is better grass out there somewhere else.

• Haven’t worked out all this month: Carbs have won HARD all of Jan. With everything else that has been going on and my bout with multiple sicknesses, January has been all food and no cardio. However, 4 days into Feb and I have been back on the routine! Fingers crossed Feb turns out better!

The amazing

• I hosted a pop up in New Delhi! It was a 7-course meal that I made with the most amazing all-woman team at a new cafe called Altogether Experimental. We served meals for 25 people and it was a great learning for future projects!

• I grew my team at the office from 4 to 6! The digital and design team is growing by 2 more people. Hiring has been tiring but it’s interesting to meet new people and really get a pulse on the overall industry.

• The best part of January was celebrating Natasha’s birthday! This was truly the first time I got to spend time celebrating a significant other’s birthday on their actual day. We had a great day of gifts, dinner, and conversations with a properly planned date night— something that doesn’t always seem to happen. Incidentally, my birthday comes 4 days after her’s so it was a week of fun! I turned the big 2 5. While it hasn’t sunk in completely, my parents have surely tuned their tonality for the future like I’m ready to leave the nest (I think it’s about time, to be honest).

Busy months remind me of simpler times— about how sometimes all you want is to not be complicated at all. I spent the first two days of February at home. Just alone with family. I watched a movie (Bad Boys), finished the new Apple TV + series “Little America” (The Cowboy and The Baker are probably my favourite episodes) and made some healthier food than my choices in Jan (let’s see how long that lasts for haha). Smashburgers are the epitome of simplicity. Ground red meat of your choice (my country made the choice for me — Lamb), made into 60 gram balls (~2ounces) which are then propped onto a hot skillet and then smashed down to create a beautiful crust that holds all the juices inside the patty while adding texture to an otherwise very mealy treatment of protein. This preparation was made famous by American fast-food chain, Shake Shack and is something they promote heavily as the only way to make a good burger. To be honest, I can’t agree less. So go ahead and make these amazing burgers!

OH: If you are looking to pair this with something other than beer, check out Bootz Rum. Its a dark rum with Jamaican roots distilled in Goa! Finally an Indian made premium rum! Go check them out at your nearest alcohol store!

Glimpses from the month

Video Step by Step

Ingredients

Makes about 5 burgers

300 grams ground lamb

1 large onion, sliced thin

2 tomates, sliced

1 tablespoon veggie oil

Cheese slices

Salt and pepper

For the Fry Sauce

2 tsp of Sriracha

1 tablespoon of mayonnaise

1 tsp of apple cider vinegar

Salt and Pepper

Method

Step 1

Start by making your fry sauce. Its super easy just mix everything and add more vinegar to cut through the fat.

Step 2

For the patties, begin by weighing out or eyeballing 5 equal portions. Roll well in your hand to make a homogenous ball. Add a generous amount of salt and pepper.

Step 3

In a heavy-bottomed skillet on high heat, add some veggie oil and let it come to steaming temperature.

Step 4

Add one patty (salt side down) and immediately press it down with two spatulas (or a spatula and another utensil to add some weight. Keep pressing until you reach a thickness of about 5 cm (2 inches).

Step 5

After 3 minutes, flip the burger and salt the cooked side. 2 minutes in, add a cheese slice on top of the patty.

Step 6

Add a few drops of water on one side of the skillet and quickly cover with a lid. This will create steam that will melt that cheese into a dreamy blanket!

Step 7

Take off the heat and serve in your preferred method of assembly!