Manish Chachra Photography

27/07/2024

Turning the drab into something fabulous!

18/12/2022

My Last Sunset in Goa for the year.

Got lucky with finding this new place called Wildshack. Good food, good music and good Vibes!!

17/12/2022

Nothing than a refreshing Bottle of fresh OJ beside the beach on a sunny day!!

27/11/2022

24/08/2021

Starry Starry Nights

Shot on Canon 80D with Tokina 11-16mm f2.8.

16/08/2021

Faces of India

Shot in Ukhimath, Uttarakhand during the month of February, just before the Pandemic derailed the world in 2020, this was a moment that came my way while chasing a Buzzard on a bird photography trip.

The gentleman was sitting on the roadside, breaking rocks into smaller pieces for making roads. Most likely a beneficiary of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural.Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).

The MGNREGS Act aims at enhancing the livelihood security of people in rural areas by guaranteeing hundred days of wage-employment in a financial year to a rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.

Seems like it paid me too 😉

15/08/2021

Regional cuisines of India

From the kitchens of the mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh, the name of the dish is Sepu Vadi.

Steamed cakes of Split Urad lentils, fried lightly and simmered in a yogurt based gravy, served with boiled rice.

This dish is a part of the traditional feast called Dham which was served as a Prasad in the temples. It can only be made by traditional cooks, called Botis.

They cook as per the Vedic way, ensuring that the entire meal was nutritious, balanced and satisfying.

Since the food was an offering to the Gods, it had to be pure, hence only satvik ingredients were used to make it. No Meat, no onions and no garlic.

A traditional Mandiyali Dham follows the Vedic style of eating i.e. we start with the Sweet and progress on to sweet-sour, sour, pungent, bitter and finally a palate cleansing astringent drink.

The feast begins with a sweet dish Boondi ka Meetha, followed by Sepu Vadi, which is sweet-sour, Kaddu ka Khatta (Sour), Kulth ka Khatta (Pungent) , Teliya Maah (Bitter) and the meal ends with a serving of Jhol, made using butter milk, which cleanses the palate due to its astringent nature.

Cooking, Styling and photography by .chachra

23/03/2021

Mace Powder

Locally known as Javitri, this spice has a hot nature, a pungent, astringent aroma and adds a flavorful punch to the dish it gets added to.

Other than food, Mace is also considered to be a Spice from the Gods due to its medicinal properties.

It is beneficial for controlling hypertension, improving heart health, reducing and removing kidney stones and alleviating pain amongst a plethora of other benefits.

It is also beneficial in preventing cough, cold and flu and also their relapses.

14/03/2021

StarAnise
Locally known as Chakkar phool, is actually a fruit of a Chinese tree.

The star shaped pod contains seeds that are ground into a powder and used as spice.

Like all spices, star anise also has a ton of health benefits.

This super spice is said to have anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.

10/03/2021

Indian Long Pepper, locally known as Pippali in hindi, is a fruit from a flowering vine. Each long piece of fruit is actually made up of several poppy-sized fruits, which are dried and then traditionally hand pounded into a powder.

This spice is a major constituent of intricate spice mixes in the Awadhi Cuisine from Lucknow.

Other than adding a zing to food, Pippali, also has medicinal properties which are well documented in Ayurveda and is known as a "Tridoshic" i.e it is suitable for all body types.

Medicinally, Long Peppers are beneficial in controlling bloating and aids in digestion.

Also it can assist in increasing immunity if consumed in regulated amounts.

Who knew that this tiny little dried fruit could pack such a big punch.

09/10/2020

Travel cakes. Seems like a new trend taking off on this age old dish.

Originally made to survive long days on the road, these stuffed pound cakes are seeing a revival.

This one is with a coating of white chocolate and some beautiful frosting work, topped with fresh mint and macerated cherries.

Exif- 1/160, ISO100, 50mm f1.8 .6, speed light thru a reverse umbrella @1/8.