A perfect cup of hot chai can easily top my list as one of the food wonders of the world. Everyone has their preference of how they like their tea. An authentic Punjabi Ginger Chai is my favorite beverage in the world. You can become someone's instant best friend by offering a cup of this tea:
Ginger Chai
(serves two)
1 1/4 cup water
3/4 cup milk (2%)
2 1/2 teaspoons loose black tea leaves (I used Red Label, Tetley, in the past, but now I use Girnar brand of Assam tea, thanks to my neighbor who recommended it, it's the best in the world and I'm hooked!)
1-2 pods green cardamon, crushed
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, minced
1 tulsi (ie. holy basil) leaf (optional)
sugar to taste
Place everything except the milk into a pot and bring to a boil, I usually cover the pot to make it go quicker. Remove the lid, add milk (some people warm the milk in the microwave first) and bring the pot to a full boil over medium-high heat. Watch carefully as you don't want the chai to boil over the pot. When it reaches a full boil, reduce heat and simmer for a minute or so. Strain the chai with a fine sieve into two cups. Add sugar to your own level of sweetness.
Variations: in the winter sometimes I add 1 crushed clove, or a 1/4 inch small piece of cinnamon stick. These warming spices are really soothing when the weather is cold.
We always accompany tea with something salty, sweet, or both. My favorite accompaniments include tea rusk, biscotti, bakarwadi, poha, and of course samosas! Enjoy!
"The Second Opinion," by Michael Palmer is a thrilling, medical mystery-drama, written by a doctor who is obviously a gifted writer. I had not read any of Palmer's other novels and was not expecting the story to be as satisfying as it was. The story is about a famous internal medicine specialist, Petros Sperelakis, and his four highly intelligent children. Dimitri, the eldest, has an IQ of 180, yet is lost in his own world of computer games, and software hacking. The twins, Niko and Selene, are both Harvard educated doctors. Thea, the youngest, also an internal medicine specialist, works with "Doctors Without Borders" in underprivileged countries.
The story describes the events after an accident leaves Petros in a comatose condition in the Boston hospital that he founded. Thea returns from an assignment in Africa and finds the situation surrounding her father's condition a bit suspicious, and is determined to find out why. Events start to happen and the action filled story takes the reader on a ride filled with unexpected twists, suspense, medical explanations, neurological abnormalities, and family relationships.
Palmer describes Asperger's syndrome, a type of autism, and how Thea is able to live and function despite being diagnosed with it. The insight into the thoughts of a person who has Asperger's is expertly written and explored. The story contains a great deal of medical details and activities in and around a hospital. Every expert description was entirely believable and yet not tedious. I was reminded of a non-fiction book called "Complications" by Atul Gawande. Gawande's account of being a doctor and his very real human feelings among all the technicalities of hospital life was similarly engrossing without the thriller aspect. Palmer's fictional story progresses at action-film speed where you never know what to expect next. I enjoyed the switching back and forth between the different story lines and the way Palmer brings them neatly together.
The story pulls the reader in with issues of having a parent on life-support and each child's differing opinions on how to handle it, plus the suspense involved in solving the mystery. Issues of sibling rivalry, parent-child relationships, and unspoken feelings are common among all families, regardless of age or education level. Palmer intertwines these emotions in an engrossing thriller that is difficult to put down. Another thriller by Palmer, "The First Patient," received a great recommendation from President Bill Clinton himself! I can't wait to read it, and future novels by this very talented doctor.
To purchase this book from Barnes and Noble click here.
Have you read Palmer's work? Click on comments below and tell me!
A perfect cup of hot chai can easily top my list as one of the food wonders of the world. Everyone has their preference of how they like their tea. An authentic Punjabi Ginger Chai is my favorite beverage in the world. You can become someone's instant best friend by offering a cup of this tea:
