Perhaps you're a bit bored of what's on the menu at home. Maybe you've been buying and preparing the same food for a while. If it's all you know how to cook, it makes sense, but why not try spicing up your meals a bit? Literally.

Indian food isn't for everyone, but you never know unless you try. It can also be very healthy, which is always a plus, no?

While you're at it, you could even try a little vegetarian. Here is one vegetarian recipe that is sure to tickle your fancy, if you like exotic food. Most ingredients can be found at your local supermarket, but you may have to do some exploring to find an Indian food store for certain things such as the ghee and garam masala. Although you may have to go out of your way to find said ingredients, variety is the spice of life and it will certainly be worth the cost.

Sarson ka saag

Ingredients

sarson greens
spinach
1 grated onion grated ginger and garlic - half a tablespoon for each
green chilies - 3
if preferred: grated cheese – 1 tablespoon
lemon juice
a bit of salt
ghee – 2 tablespoons
1 tbsp of oil
garam masala – half of a tablespoon
maize flour - 1 tablespoon

Preparation

Chop up the sarson greens and spinach, then wash and drain. Place the oil in the pressure cooker to heat it up before adding the greens and chilies. Once heated, add the vegetables and chilies and stir in ginger and garlic. Add the salt and water. Cook until everything is ready and mash. Heat ghee and onion in a pan, stirring till they get brown. Add all the ingredients, minus the cheese. Stir well. Cook until the oil separates. Use cheese to garnish and serve hot.

You may have some experience working with drinks either from hosting parties or working as a barman or women. But do you ever find yourself running out of ideas? Getting tired of serving that Sex on the Beach, a Bloody Mary, or just serving simply beer or wine? Maybe you've tried the Pisco Sour from Peru or a Mexican clamato with beer.

It's always fun to try new flavours and drinks, whether you're enjoying a drink by yourself or hosting a group of friends. What about Asian cocktails? Now that is something new and exotic to add to the list of your favourite drinks and they are easy to prepare. If you've never tried the lychee fruit, give it a taste and if you like it try out these fun and fabulous cocktail recipes:

Beijing Bellini
• Champagne - 3 parts
• lychee liquor - 1 part
• 1 Lychee nut at the bottom of the glass

Serve chilled in a champagne glass. Simple yet tasteful.

Litchini
• One and a half ounces of vodka
• One and a half ounces of Lichido Liqueur
• A sip of lime juice
• 1 lychee (pitted)

After pouring and shaking well the ingredients into a cocktail shaker, add ice and strain into a cocktail glass. To add some garnish, drop a lychee in the glass.

Midori June Bug
• 2 oz Midori melon liguer
• 1 ½ ounces coconut rum
• 2 ounces pineapple juice
• ice

This exotic drink originating from Korea can be enjoyed either by shaking the ingredients together or layering them in a cocktail glass.

Asian Hooker Recipe
• ¼ oz Barcadi 151 rum
• 1 ½ Coconut Rum
• ¾ oz Midor melon Liquer
• 5-6 oz carbonated lemon-lime beverage
• 5-6 oz pineapple juice

For someone who has lived all their life in a westernised atmosphere, with cinemas, sport clubs, shopping centres and restaurants, you may wonder what entertainment is like in a small Asian village – known as Kampung Villages in Southeast Asian counties.

Understanding how to enjoy life without your favourite past times can be difficult to comprehend for those who haven't travelled, but it doesn't mean that these villagers don't know how to live entertained lives.

It goes without saying that it is much different when compared with Western existence, but life can be equally as entertaining for people who may not have a television but have plenty of other activities and past times to keep them happy.

If a Kampung village is located near the water, you will find boat races, swimming or fishing to be the source of entertainment and recreation for these villagers. Of course, fishing is also a way of supplying food on the table as well as a fun pursuit.

Other activities, such as festivals, may be for religious purposes. Many festivals celebrated by Kampung villagers are to worship a god, while others mark an end to a harvest period. Most festivals include dancing, parades and elegant costumes.

During the everyday life, village children always have the opportunity to play and enjoy themselves, whether it's playing in the streets, flying a kite, or playing congak. You will find that even when there are no festivals being celebrated, cultural dances, mock weddings and musical performances are the norm.

Although Thailand is well-known for its wish lanterns, many of us might not be familiar with this beautiful concept. Wish lanterns are widely used all year round in Thailand for celebrations including breathtaking lantern festivals. They are an intrinsic part of Thai culture and are popularly known as Khoom Loy or Khoom Fay.

The largest and most stunning of all Thai Lantern festivals is Loy Kratong in Chiang Mai – in which lovers gather on the riverbanks to float flowers and candles, launch fireworks and release Khoom Loys together. It's believed that misfortune flies away with these lanterns. Loy Kratong goes all the way back to ancient times. At this ceremony people would make their own multicolored lanterns, and would then offer the lanterns to temples asking for their wishes to be fulfilled just the way people do now.

There is a lot of detailing and meaning in everything. For instance: each colour stands for something. Red for celebrations, Green is for growth, Purple is for Opportunity, Pink for love and White for health. They have increasingly also become symbols of good luck. Sometimes they are released with an address written on the inside of the lantern, so that anyone who finds the lantern once it floats back down can go to the address and they are then given money by the owner to thank them for their effort and good karma.

Boldly go where just a few have set foot, the charming and sacred grounds of the Druk Yul or Bhutan, the Land of the Thunder Dragon. We've compiled the essentials to help you explore this mysterious and ancient land.

Bhutan is a peaceful and traditional country that thrives on respect for the royal family and kindness. Although slowly growing, tourism is still managed carefully by the Department of Tourism and the government, to ensure that all visitors are respectful to the country's religions – Buddhism and the ancient Bonism – it's culture and lifestyle. As a visitor, you will be reminded of the many Bhutanese customs unique to specific areas. The official language in Bhutan is Dzongkha but a number of dialects including Sharchop Kha, which is spoken in eastern Bhutan, and Nepali, are also commonly spoken. English has been taught since the mid-60s, but will be rarely spoken or understood outside the capital of Thimphu.

You will be asked to book flights and accommodation through a registered tour agent and, though some choice of traditional hotels, cottages and guesthouses will be given, your stay will be subject to approval by the Department of Tourism. During busy festival periods, availability will be limited, with many being booked weeks in advance. A few luxury hotels and resorts can also be made available to you at request, but at a considerably higher cost.

Literary lovers can continue to foster their love for the written word, with the below list of Asian literary events and festivals in London and beyond.

Think of The Asia House as a cove of Asian Literature. Including the works of renowned writers such as Aravind Adiga, The Asia House Festival of Asian Literature, held annually in May, is the place to sit back and enjoy the best of literature from celebrated Asian writers.

Founded in 2009, The DSC South Asian Literature Festival aims to promote themes surrounding literature by showcasing the works of both established and emerging voices. With over 35 events in venues across the UK – London, Leicester and Brighton – SALF also aims to strengthen and build ties with local communities, schools and libraries. SALF takes place nationwide each year in mid-October.

Called ‘the grandest literary festivals of them all', this yearly Jaipur based literary festival, celebrates the works of both national and international writers. It is also the largest festival in the Asia-Pacific area. All JLF events, from talks to workshops, performances and debates are free and open to the public. Prepare to be dazzled by great luminaries of literature.

Although many Asians concentrate on building modern houses, Kampungs in Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia still holds a great history of Asian's traditional house and culture. In Kampungs, traditional houses are built together to enhances defense and stability. Most of the people living in these kampungs are fishermen hence many Kampungs are situated in fishing grounds. Kampungs residents in Malaysia have many recreation activities such as traditional dances, paintings and sculptors. These recreation activities usually attract many tourists all over the world. Malaysian Kampungs are made up of people from different cultural background hence they provide various tradition dances from different cultures with are so entertaining to the tourists.

Malaysian people are very entertaining and generous. They are kind and serve the tourists with a lot of respect. You can tour Malaysia and spend some of your nights in kampungs with assurance of getting a humble sleep. The villagers can also take you to TelagaTujuh Waterfall in Langkawi for recreation. Telaga Tujuh is one of the legend waterfalls in Malaysia. It has got very interesting stories. Some people says that it contain magic waters. This is because Asians believes that it has got some powers to heal numerous diseases.

Tourism ministry in Malaysia has encouraged Asian tourism industry through constructing roads to various tourism destinations. It has also invested a good percentage of foresight exchange in hotels and other tourism sectors to boost the trade.

When one visits Kampung villages in Malaysia they are always amazed with the diverse culture and enriching practices in this region. It is fabulous to be there and a good number of people enjoy interacting with people from this community. A Kampung is a little village that apart from embracing their culture they also have a vast knowledge in technology. People from this community are friendly and warmly too. When one tour this place the kind of reception they get is absolutely marvelous and one is ensured an exceptional hospitality in the globe. Since the village is situated away from the city centre; people who visit this place always enjoy a quiet environment that enables them a comfort zones that they hardly get, especially for those people who come from urban areas.

One important culture that is really good and appealing in the Asian community is Kung Fu. This art has prominently put this community in the international standards, from Hollywood veterans such John Woo, Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan are believed to come Cantonese decent of the community from this region. Bruce a dragon legend was one the people who open ways to western domain that has actively helped in promoting Asian culture in the west. Being an actor and a writer too he successfully able to sell diverse Asian culture to the west. The people here too embrace the art of building houses which been in frontline as a means of communication. When you see their antique materials, truly shows vast information about their culture.

In Asia the art and design of furniture is unique. Their stuffs are exceptional and original and are made in order to promote their culture. Despite the advances in technology, the Asian community here makes sure that the kinds of furniture they come up with are creative. As much as they look stylish and innovative they always maintain the element of traditions in their designs. The houses here are also wonderful and have built with keen interest of promoting their culture. Most buildings are decorated ancient materials that make them look absolutely remarkable. For most people who have been visiting the place, they have burrowing the fantastic ideas and ahead using at their home land. This has really helped to spread the diverse culture of Asians. Today when one visits the web domain you will hardly miss something touching on Asian culture.

The Kampungs adopt a natural way of building to get their architectural designs. They are usually made of very durable wood as that is the prevailing trend. Most people in Malaysia and Indonesia have these kinds of buildings. The Kampungs, however, face many setbacks. The very common drawback is the issue of floods. During the rainy season, the improperly done Kampungs collapse leaving families homeless. That calls for an ingenious incorporation of stilts into the architectural designs. They are made with very large windows in anticipation of the tropical climates. Their walls are thatched cleverly so that they don't get washed away when floods come.The designs on Kampungs are meticulous venturing. The most fundamental structures are first done on the ground before being joined to form a single comprehensive unit.

By laying the foundation gradually, people who don't have enough material get a chance to improve their houses with time. In building the Kampungs, one needs to consider a number of factors. Some of these are: the number of family members, financial capability, material availability, the prevailing traditions of most people and the family expectations like member increase in the future. While it is apparently an overwhelming task to even decipher anything significant on the Kampungs development, it is on the other side compensated by the need of almost no furniture. Most activities taking place in the Kampungs, take place on the floor. That means that one does not need to furnish them. As long as there is abundant space in the house, everyone must reach their happiness peak.The kind of pleasure realized in the houses' set up makes the Kampung village buildings very modest. Life simply takes a different twist when you visit the Kampung villages. Most Kampungs are linked to the diverse regions of Malaysia and Indonesia.

When visiting these Kampungs, the dwellers pay a very hospitable spirit. The environment here is comfy and one probably comes out humbled and appreciative to the dwellers. The life style here is full of culture and traditions. The Kampungs epitomize the real divergent cultures of the Malaysian and Indonesian communities. As opposed o most city life styles which encompass extraordinary siren noises, traffic and traffic jams which cause a lot of disturbance, life in the Kampungs is totally peaceful and makes you enjoy your freedom and experience stress - free holidays in the regions.You have to make your vacation successful by indulging in the Kampung lifestyle.

Although most Asian countries have adapted to a western type of living with apparent influences in the structure of their homes; the majority of people in Indonesia still live in traditional villages. Almost 60% have their dwellings set up as kampungs or smaller groups of houses in the village. A kampung is a constituent of a larger administration of villages which is called a desa.

The domestic set up involves extended families so the people living there truly embody the true meaning of community. Life is simple and hassle free since their main livelihoods are agricultural in nature such as farming and fishing.

To begin with, these houses are naturally made from durable wood. The usual and ideal design of kampung houses are stilts and large windows. Since the seasonal floods are something that needs to be countered, the stilts are ingeniously incorporated into the design of the houses. The large windows are for the year round tropical weather. The thatched houses are also another trademark of the kampung house.

Making a kampung House is a methodical venture. The parts are first built on the ground before they are assembled to form the house itself. It is also ideal for people who can't afford more materials so they can gradually add improvements as time passes and they acquire the means to further build on their homes. The common aspects considered in building a kampung house is the financial capacity of the family, the number of family members, traditions, and growing needs of its members.