Thank You Fatty: The Fatty Bao, Mumbai

After all the life changing, career moving decisions that I had apparently taken last November (2014) when I quit my job at a law firm and decided to take a long unplanned break and then in March this year decided to work for a food start-up (because duh), I am surprisingly back at being a lawyer at a law firm in Mumbai. So apparently I can’t get enough of the law (and the law can’t get enough of me). However, it’s only been a little over 2 months at the new job (New Job) so I really wouldn’t want to count my chickens before they hatch and make any statement appreciating or dismissing my time here so far (look at the incessant need to ‘define’ terms).

Nevertheless, what I will not refrain from mentioning is the awesome colleagues I have here. I sit in a room with 3 other people- there is the retarded Mihir (ok not really retarded but when I mentioned it to him that this is what I’ll be referring to him as, he asked me to show him the post before it goes live- like for what I wonder? Proof-read? #SuchALawyer) pretty and witty Eva who is about to tie the knot hopefully sometime in the near future with a super cool dude hailing from Chicago (but more on that later) and Sugandha, a senior in terms of her position at the firm but equally fun to chat with. However, the person that I end up spending most of my time here working with is Priya, a sweet little Bombay girl who makes me feel not so short and is fun to hang around with. That being said, what becomes really relevant for this post is how these people are almost equally in love with food like me, though they keep a check on their diets where I mostly lose that battle and food wins. It was owing to this common interest that one evening Eva, Priya and I decided to finally pay a visit to the newish Fatty Bao in Bandra. For various reasons I had not been able to make my long overdue trip there and so when we were finally talking about going for dinner one evening when work was relatively light, this seemed to be the place to hit. And lo behold! We even got reservations at the last minute. It was fate. I just know it.

So on a Wednesday evening, 3 lawyers decide to go to a Japanese restaurant for drinks, dinner and debauchery. No there is no joke lined up here- just some amazingly tantalizing food and an extremely cheery and pretty, dimly lit ambiance. We had to wait for about 5-10 minutes for our table but that wait wasn’t a pain at all. It was something else- the lights, the music, the vibe, all made me wonder and kick myself on why I hadn’t visited earlier.

We started with drinks first- 2 Double Jades (Beefeater Gin blended with Kiwi, Khus and Kaffir Lime), and 1 of The Fatty Sour (a sensual blend of Raspberries, Whiskey (Jameson), Lime and Sugar) (each priced at Rs. 550). While I found the Double Jade to be a bit too sweet for my taste keeping in mind that I usually stick to a standard Mojito or a Daiquiri (of course) where traces of alcohol can be tasted, it was quite well made in terms of the proportion of alcohol in the cocktail- enough to get me all chatty and light headed. The Fatty Sour, as Eva tells me, did not feel like a cocktail as again the alcohol could not be tasted, but extremely well made and tasty,- just enough to get her happy high. All in all, and I am sure that the girls will agree with me on this, the cocktails were a breath of fresh air after a hard day’s work.

Jumping to the starters we ordered a plate of the Fatty Oysters (Rs. 445) which is fresh Cochin oysters broiled with soy butter, chorizo and ponzu sauce. The dish is marked as a ‘Fatty Bao Special’ and rightly so. The fun of eating oysters right off the shell is what I would go back for- but not only that. The oysters were soft and succulent and the chorizo bits drizzle on top added the oomph factor to the dish. One thing that I would have preferred is bread on the side to cut the saltiness of the dish. But yum is what I say. The Fatty Oysters are a hero and a must try for all non-vegetarian patrons.

To balance the veg to non-veg quotient, since one of us is a vegetarian, we also ordered the Baked Wonton Cups (Rs. 225) and a plate of the Kimchi Baby Potatoes (Rs. 225). The Baked Wonton Cups with wok tossed cottage cheese, corn, water chestnut, chilli and scallion had surprisingly not gone soggy and the crunch in the bite was in fact quite evident. This, I would say, is one such dish that will not make you miss meat. The flavours were well balanced and the cute little things were devoured within a few minutes.

The Kimchi Baby Potatoes, our next vegetarian plate, had a zingy and spicy flavor and were quite delicious. While I had already stuffed myself with the Fatty Oysters, I couldn’t help but keep digging into the bowl for these because really, no one can eat just one.

After feeling considerably fed, we decided to order another round of our drinks and then, once we had gotten a break from the gluttony, we took to ordering our mains for the evening - a bowl of the Chasu Ramen (Rs. 425) (also marked as a ‘Fatty Bao Special’), and a portion of the Lotus Root in Thai Red Curry (Rs. 345).

The Chasu Ramen is pork stock with bacon, braised pork belly, bean sprouts and marinated soft boiled egg. This is the kind of dish that you take a bite of and are transported into wonderland. Hot and so comforting, it warms you from the inside – and when you have the first bite of the braised pork belly, you know it doesn’t get better. After all, the Chasu Ramen is made of all the good things.

But what surprised me even more was the Lotus Root in Thai Red Curry. Why? Because first of all Lotus Root (also known as bhein back home) is something, because of the preparation in which I have eaten this while growing up, I could not associate with being a part of a Thai Curry. Secondly, I am more of a Green Curry person. However, it would be wrong to not mention that I was pleasantly amazed by the intense yet balanced flavours that the Red Thai Curry made me experience and the crisp Lotus Root that went so well with it that I am considering cooking it this way when I am back home next. So much so, this was a great combination with the sticky rice that we ordered and I was glad that there were left overs because that ensured that my lunch for the next day was sorted.

Ab meethe mein kya? Well obviously we weren’t going to skip that. We picked 2 Fatty Bao Specials from the dessert menu- the Fatty Hill (Rs. 265) and the Japanese Cheesecake (Rs. 265).

The Fatty Hill is a sight- a hill made of chocolate cream, mint crème brulee, chocolate crispies and topped with rice crispies. As is well known amongst my set of peers, I am not a very chocolate dessert person, but even I couldn’t resist taking spoonsful of this. A stream of chocolate flowed as soon as we cut into the “hill” and as Eva would say- the first bite was orgasmic.

The Japanese Cheesecake by default became my more of a go to option considering the non-chocolate element of it. A Japanese cheesecake, unlike the regular cheesecake, is soft, fluffy and cushiony. The one at the Fatty Bao passed this test with flying colours. The blueberry compote layered on top was quite a delight and the Cheesecake went extremely well with the scoop of vanilla ice cream served alongside. I lost my heart to this one. Slowly but surely.

Will I go there again? Read the post. I don’t think this question needs to be answered (Of course I will. I am dreaming of the Fatty Oysters and the Japanese Cheesecake right now!)

Where is it? Ground Floor, Summerville, Junction of 14th and 33rd Road, Linking Road, Bandra West Contact: 022 33716006

Biryani 360- because I love Biryani

Its May. Its hot. Its humid. It's irritating. Long working hours do not help the situation.. and don’t even get me started on the long distances and the annoying traffic that you and I have to deal with on a daily basis. But there are some things that will always help in making situations better. Top of my list is my favourite food- Biryani! And guess what happened when I visited the kitchen of a place that does Biryani and only Biryani. Yes, my day turned around. And for those of you who still haven’t figured the name of the place that does only Biryani.. guys its Biryani 360; others- Hi 5!

I was invited for a kitchen tour of Biryani 360 at their Bandra kitchen and what I saw left me extremely impressed. The kitchen is a decent size with chefs all around – some chopping, some doing their tricks on the stove. I was informed that they use blue flame technology throughout the kitchen. I was told how the process works from getting an order to getting the biryani in place and then packed and jet set go- extremely methodical!  They started in March this year and now with a team of 13 chefs, 10 delivery boys and 2 guys managing the entire affair Biryani 360 has a reach all over Mumbai. Yes, they deliver all over. These food tech scenes are the future!

The Biryani 360 Kitchen

The insulated bags in which your Biryani 360 box gets delivered

Now a little about the Biryani- first of all, I was really impressed with the packaging. Cute red and green boxes for the unveg and veg (yes its not non veg but unveg) sealed with a time stamp indicating the time within which the Biryani will be hot and will be at its peak of giving the eater the best Biryani 360 experience- these are handed over to customers (those who opt for the pick up option). For the guys looking for a delivery, your boxes then go into insulated bags which keep the temperature of the Biryani high to ensure that it is still hot when it reaches its destination.

I sampled the Un Veg Biryani because I am so "un veg". First impression- very good. The display is of a whole packed meal where the eater doesn’t need anything except for his box of Biryani (and of course an appetite) as the box will contain a spork and a tissue along with your serving of Biryani and yogurt on the side. The Biryani looked pretty- yes it did-with strands of saffron lying here and there on top of it. It is in the first bite itself that I could distinctly tell you how fresh the biryani tasted- hot, non-greasy, flavoured with saffron, perfectly cooked rice, spicy with a few pieces of raisins here and there to add to the taste and add to all this succulent pieces of chicken in just the right proportion. The aroma was intoxicating, the biryani was juicy and even though spicy (and not for the faint hearted) it made me keep diving back for more! The thick yogurt was a great side-kick to the Biryani as it evened out the sharp taste. 

My Un Veg Biryani Box with Yogurt and a time stamp

Verdict: I have eaten a lot of biryani, a lot of it. I won’t say this was the most traditional biryani that I have ever tasted because at home we have never added carrots to biryani. But I will definitely say that this was quite delicious and in fact interesting to say the least. I loved the non-greasy element and the fact that the rice to chicken ratio was perfect, something which almost everyone gets wrong.

I am definitely ordering from here soon. And my word to you guys would be- there’s a big chance that it won’t be like your mum’s biryani, but this is positively something you need to try and then decide which biryani category it falls into for you.

How to Order? You can visit the website https://www.biryani360.com/ and place your order. And don't miss the Jaanu Balls and Jaanu Dolls comic strip!

(Note: The author was invited for a kitchen tour and sampled some Un Veg Biryani after which she happily picked up 2 boxes and paid for them because the sample just wasn't enough to satiate the craving.)

The New One- Harry's @ Andheri Fun Republic

Friday night after work I was making a trip- to Andheri. Yes I know I sound horribly spoilt but Mumbai distances haven’t gotten into my veins as yet. In any case, this time I was going to the famous Harry’s not at Juhu but in Andheri. Yes they’ve opened a cool place in Andheri at Fun Republic as well! And boy was I in for a surprise! The place was buzzing with laughter, chatter and great music. This itself put me at ease and made me get into my merry mood which I had kind of lost traveling in the crowded local for about an hour. It was a blogger’s meet and the table was beaming with excellent vibe and energy. It was a great evening in terms of getting to know, and conversing with, people who share the same passion for food as I do.

To begin with, I asked the server to get me a fruity drink- I am a sucker for fresh fruit cocktails. I was very happily served a Sex on the Pattaya Beach- a watermelon based drink with rum. This was pure joy in my mouth. I loved the serving in a jar concept and the taste of the cocktail was fabulous. Not too sweet so that one would doubt whether there was any rum at all and not too potent- just perfect. Enough to get me to start being chatty with my table mates while I enjoyed this cool refreshing cocktail.

Sex on the Pattaya Beach!

Chimichurri Grilled Chicken

I started nibbling on the Chimichurri Grilled Chicken which I think was fantastic- well spiced with a great mint zest. The mint sauce was generously spread out on all the chicken pieces ensuring that each bite was extremely flavourful and true to the name of the dish. The BBQ Chicken that I tried next was a bit too spicy an affair which in turn subdued the barbeque sauce flavors that one would expect from a dish like this. Better to have something like this a little mild on the spice and generous with the barbeque flavor by maybe doing a good chunk of barbeque sauce on the side. However, what I must must mention is that the quality of chicken pieces in both the dishes was great. Succulent and well-cooked good sized pieces. 

Another chicken dish that I dug into was the Spicy Chicken- sweet and spicy Chinese flavours, chicken pieces cut into strips with veggies. An average dish is what I’d say this was. Nothing that I would be dying to order again but it was not a disappointment.

Spicy Chicken

A platter of the Veggie Sliders was served next at our table and this was cute little tiny buns with potato and veggie patties tucked inside. Soft and warm with a masala angle these sliders were quite a mouthful. You’ll like this with your drinks!

Sliders!

I tried a little bit of the Green Thai Curry as well and while the creaminess, texture, thickness, colour and presentation was spot on, what disappointed me was the excess of salt in the dish. That just killed the mojo of the dish- if you know what I mean. Go easy on the salt and you have got yourself a delicious Green Thai Curry that you'll love.

Green Thai Curry with Steamed Rice

However, the two dishes that took my breath away were the Nachos and the Vietnamese Spring Rolls. Yes we get Nachos at a lot of places in Mumbai and these are in fact one of the regular bar nibbles that one would go for but what was so basic to these Nachos was the crunch element which stayed on. So no, the Nachos did not become limp and soggy after the first 5-10 minutes of being served which is not to say that the salsa, guacamole and cream cheese element was missing. Totally there and very proportionate. This plate of Nachos was a winner my friends!

Nachos

As far as the Vietnamese Spring Rolls go, well these are any day what someone who is not fond of the deep fried element of a regular spring roll would go for. Packed tightly in these beautiful rice paper rolls, the veggies were crunchy and had a nutty element to them. Served with the light soy sauce on the side this dish is delish and healthy. Chomp on this and you’ll be happy and satisfied.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

The servers were extremely polite and knowledgeable about what they were serving. The service, however, to begin with was not very prompt as my first drink literally took a good 25 minutes to arrive and I had to keep checking with servers who at one point of time were quite zapped about what was happening. Nevertheless, the smile with which they served the dishes eased my disappointment and the rest of the evening went quite smoothly. What I really loved was the music that was playing- at one point they even played Dancing Queen and I am a huge Abba fan. So for me the night was rocking.

Will I go there again? If in the area then definitely yes, but I wouldn’t travel all the way from Mahalaxmi for this.

Where is it? 1st Floor, Fun Republic, Veera Desai Road, Shah Industrial Estate, Andheri Lokhandwala, Andheri West, Mumbai Contact: 022 30151125

Look who's here? --Eagle Boys Pizza!

When you think of quick pizza in terms of international food chains, some of the popular ones in India pop up in your head. Not for long though now. Eagle Boys Pizza, an Australian pizza chain, has entered the Indian market and is surely going to woo you. You just need to give its classics a try.

So a friend and I had the opportunity to visit one of the newer franchises of Eagle Boys Pizza that has opened up in Mumbai’s Fort area at Sterling Cineplex. Who doesn’t love pizza, right? Well, with that in mind both of us were quite excited to try this new place and I am extremely glad that we did! It has opened doors to a newer, quick, non-fine dine, yet great pizza place for me at least.

The store is inside the Sterling Cineplex area so it has a food court kind of set up. For those of you who are wondering “where?”, it has opened up at the place where Nawab’s, a place serving Lucknowi food, used to be.

I had the pleasure of talking to the owner and he told us how when he had tried the Eagle Boys Pizza for the first time he was so fascinated by the concept that he just felt it as his responsibility to introduce this awesomeness to the palates of us Mumbaikars.  The concept of freshness, that is the USP of Eagle Boys, is actually a very basic necessity for all of us looking to eat well. Whereas a lot of places would, because of logistic reasons try to make their work easier and avoid the harder way, this place has not shied away from doing one major thing to bring to its customers the delight of freshness and it can be tasted in the crust of their pizzas. Instead of just sourcing their pizza base from some central place, each and every pizza base is prepared at the kitchen of the store. This has definitely amped up the taste and texture of the pizza that your teeth dig into at this place.

I shall give you my description of their food in the order that it was served to us.

We first started with the Spicy Garlic Scrolls (Rs. 89) featured under the “Sides” in the menu. The owner told us that unlike a lot of places that use cheese sauce in such rolls, Eagle Boys strictly uses freshly grated mozzarella and indeed this could be felt in that first bite that I took where the cheese stretch was never ending- just like it should be. However, on the taste front while the garlic and spice was full power doing justice to the name of the dish, the salt was a little lacking or at least was getting subdued by the crust- which I felt could have been done a little crispy so as to get that crackly feeling when biting into it.

For our round of mocktails we were served a glass of the Exotic Flavoured Mocktail and the Green Apple Mojito both of which are priced at Rs. 69 each. While the Green Apple Mojito was extremely refreshing, the Exotic Flavoured Mocktail is not something that I enjoyed so much so that it tasted a little cough syrupish to me. Maybe its just me but I know that's not something I'll be ordering at this place again.

We went ahead with the Tomato Penne Pasta (Rs. 99) and the first bite had that charred caramelized onion which just took our hearts away. The pasta was just the right amount of saucy and the flavour was great for a quick bite kind of pasta with crisp veggies.

Finally the pizzas arrived- BBQ Chicken and Spicy Chicken (Rs. 219 each for a 7" pizza). First things first- the crust of the pizza is what definitely makes this a good eat. Not flaky, not dry, not too doughy, just the right amount of thickness which complimented the toppings and the cheese very well. In no bite would you feel that "oh- that's just bread! Where are my toppings?" because that's how well spaced the toppings were. 

I am more of a spice lover so for me the Spicy Chicken definitely did it. My friend on the other hand is a BBQ person so well that's what he favourited. This just goes on to say that the flavours were bang on and yummy and depending on what kind of a foodie you are, you're surely going to find your pick here.

But this was not all. What we had for dessert, even though by now as you can imagine we were full up to our necks, blew our mind. So Eagle Boys does a Sweetzza (Rs. 99) which is basically chocolate pizza and is a great dessert in terms of taste. This was sort of a chunky version of the chocolate pizzas that many of you must have tried and this was really good. The texture of the spread on top with the soft pizza crust is what will keep you coming back for more!

As far as the service goes, the staff was extremely courteous and helpful. Ask them anything and they’ll be glad to help you out or tell you more about the place or the food.

Will I go there again? Most definitely, whenever I am next in the area. (Sweetzza yummy!)

Where is it? Sterling Cinema, Marzaban Road Cinema Lane, Fort, Mumbai Contact: 022 33956057/ 67493939/ 67494040/ 65060001 (Note: This review is restricted to the Fort outlet of Eagle Boys Pizza only.)

A Tribute to the Best Butter Chicken Ever!

And the month long vacation is over. A whole month of pampering, lots of home food, snuggling and cozying in the bed with warm blankets while sleeping without an alarm- basically a month of bliss just got over. But was I excited to come back to Bombay? Hell yeah! I love this city and going away periodically to catch a break is great, in fact required, but you just want to return because nothing like Bombay and its food.

Talking about food, well there was a lot of cooking that I did back at home. It’s simpler there because of the bigger kitchen, mom’s helping hand, the enthusiasm which can only escalate with a mother around and family waiting eagerly to try the next dish that comes hot right out of the kitchen. Because there were so many things I wanted to try out and learn we would actually make lists of things to be cooked. Imagine that! And because there was so much cooking involved and new dishes that we were trying out that none of us really ever felt the need to go out and eat dinner. That is just reaching a whole different level I feel. However, there are two places that come what may, I just have to visit whenever I visit Dehradun. Today I am going to talk about one of these two constants.

A lot of us know the President Hotel as “Presis” and that probably comes from the incessant need to give a short form to everything, a habit which developed back in school (read “hospi” for hospital; “stretchi” for a stretch band”; “baski” for basketball; “gulabo” for gulab jamun; the list is actually endless but I’ll finish here). For those who don’t know, the President Hotel is one of the oldest and extremely well reputed hotels in Dehradun and is situated at Astley Hall on Rajpur Road which is the heart of the city. As I was in a boarding school, I know that parents of a lot of my school mates would put up here whenever visiting the city. But what this place is extremely famous for is its restaurant- The Pavilion. However, the restaurant is also more commonly referred to as “Presis”.

“Presis” is a multi cuisine restaurant serving decent Italian, Mughlai, Continental and Thai food. I remember back in the school days we would have standard orders which would include the Fettuccine, Chicken sizzler, Crispy Veg, Honey Chili Potatoes, and the most loved Butter Chicken.

About the Butter Chicken- I can go on to make a remark as high as that it’s the best Butter Chicken I have ever tasted and that is after having had Butter Chicken in various parts of Delhi and having tried it in Punjab (Amritsar and Chandigarh). This Butter Chicken is orange, has a creamy and smooth gravy, is spiced to perfection and the chicken used by the restaurant is succulent and full of flesh. It is "not mara hua” as my dad would say. I mean of course its “mara hua” but you get the drift I am sure. You do get an option of the boneless version but I avoid that as I follow the rule that meat on the bone is the juiciest- which is also another great thing about the Butter Chicken here- extremely flavourful and juicy. You can just order this with your choice of bread (recommended: Garlic Naan), accompany it with pickled onions and that would be a meal that you would categorize as your best meal for a very very long time.

One thing that this Butter Chicken is not--- sweet. I am aware of the school of thought that Butter Chicken is “supposed” to be sweet and in fact that’s the kind of butter chicken that is served almost throughout Mumbai. But if visiting Dehradun or even passing by it, do let your taste buds have an experience of this Butter Chicken and you will know what I am talking about.

It has all of us so addicted to it that friends of mine have been known to get it packed, freeze it over night and then carry it with them to Delhi and Mumbai. I myself got some of this deliciousness back to Mumbai and had a friend taste it for the first time. She simply loved it and now understands what the fuss is all about.

I had this paired with some Garlic Naan and Tandoori Roti, pickled onions and ended the meal with a helping of the Caramel Custard. 

Wouldn’t say that this is the best Caramel Custard that I have had in my life, because that award goes to the Caramel Custard served at Britannia in Mumbai (read about it here), but I can guarantee you that you’ll like it a lot and on the whole this will be one meal that will leave you with a lot of happy food memories and cravings that can only end with a visit to the valley.

So being a fulltoosh Punjabi, this was my tribute to the best Butter Chicken that I have ever tasted and grown up eating. Still in search for something which comes even close to this here in Mumbai. Recommendations are welcome!

Will I go there again? Absolutely! Each and every time I visit Dehradun and more than once.

Where is it? 6, Astley Hall, Rajpur Road Dehradun. Contact: 0135 2657386

(The author dined there anonymously and her dad paid for this meal.)

Pineapple Crumble: Crumbly Delight

Crumbly warm sweet and gooey- this texture and taste with a dollop of vanilla ice cream (or not), is what’s going to keep you smiling from ear to ear. And that too when you prepare it in your own kitchen for your loved ones using the goodness of fruits! A dessert that simple which doesn’t require much; just some basic ingredients, teeny weeny bit of effort, a warm oven to bake in and of course, your love- Yes, that’s all we need for preparing a wickedly good Pineapple Crumble.

I learnt this  when I went for  few cooking classes to The Culinaria, started by Radhicka Agarwal of MasterChef India 2010 fame. You can check out the facebook page of The Culinaria for more information on classes and other cooking tips.

Here you go with the ingredients!

For the Crumble

Butter- 150 gm, chilled and cut into small cubes

Castor Sugar- 100 gm

Flour- 200 gm

For the Fruit Filling

Pineapple- 1, chopped (Alternatively you can use a tin of pineapples)

Castor Sugar- ½ to ¾ cup (depending on how much of a sweet tooth you have) (If using canned Pineapple skip the castor sugar since the pieces are already in syrup).

Butter- 1 tbsp

Cinnamon Powder- ½ tsp

For baking, right temperature and exact measurement of ingredients is extremely essential, so a word of advice would be to have a set of measuring cups and spoons in your kitchen.

Method:

•  Pre-heat oven to 180°C.
• To prepare the crumble, take flour, castor sugar and the small cubes of butter in a bowl and rub it with your fingers to form bread crumbs like texture. Please ensure that you use chilled small cubes of butter and do not use your palms to get the bread crumb type texture- strictly and only finger tips.
• For the fruit filling, mix the castor sugar, chopped pineapple, cinnamon and butter till all gets dissolved.
• Grease an oven proof dish with butter and pour the pineapple mixture in the dish. The pineapple will be watery but don’t worry about that.
• Evenly and generously coat the pineapple filling with the crumble mixture.
  
• Bake in the pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes or till the crust turns slightly goldenish brown.
• Serve hot with whipped cream or ice cream. GORGE!

Double ka Meetha- Kuch Meetha ho Jaaye (for the Boys in Blue)

Double ka Meetha is a Hyderabadi cousin of Shahi Tukda. The dessert gets its name from bread or what is also called “double roti”. There really isn’t much difference between the two except that in Shahi Tukda the fried bread slices are soaked up in rich rabdi or condensed milk and for Double ka Meetha the fried bread slices are soaked in hot milk. 

Shahi Tukda  is something I am not very fond of and I don’t know if it’s the amount of sugar I used or because I made it at home for the first time, but going by the way my Double Ka Meetha tasted, I would take that over Shahi Tukda any day. In fact this is one of the few Indian desserts I really enjoyed eating and would happily make another batch soon. This recipe is also from Neeta Mehta’s recipe book with suggestions and inputs from my friend’s mother who, as I have heard, is a fantastic cook. 

And we’ve just won the India v. South Africa ICC World Cup Match as I type this post and that too by a whopping margin so my post is dedicated to the boys in blue! #WontGiveItBack.

This recipe serves 20 as I had prepared it for mum’s potluck.

Ingredients:

White bread slices- 20 (trim the edges and cut each slice into half diagonally) (Note to Readers: The slices I used were small in size. If using big slices of bread you may want to restrict to 15 in number.)

Milk- 1kg

Fresh Cream- 1 cup

Sugar- 1 ¾ cup

Water- 1 cup

Saffron- a pinch

Rose Water- 4 tbsp  (Soak the saffron in rose water and keep it aside)

Almonds- 20- blanched and sliced

Pistachio- 20 sliced (Note to Readers: You may use a larger quantity of the dry fruits as per your liking)

Oil/Ghee- For shallow frying the bread slices

A few sheets of Silver Leaves or Chandi ka Warq (optional)

Preheat oven to 180° C for at least 10 minutes

Method:

• In a medium sauce pan boil the milk. Once the milk has come to a boil reduce the heat and cook on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes till the consistency is reduced to almost half. The reduction also depends upon the type of milk used. If using full cream milk the reduction should be almost ¾th of the quantity used and if using regular toned milk then the reduction should be ½ of the quantity used. Once the consistency has reduced, add cream and cook for a minute. Keep aside.

• Boil sugar in half cup water and make a syrup. You want a one wire or “ek taar” consistency for the syrup. Keep this sugar aside to cool. Once cooled slightly, mix the saffron infused rose water to this sugar syrup.

• Heat ghee/ oil in a pan to shallow fry the bread slices. The traditional method for any sweet will almost always ask you to use ghee only but because it makes the dessert a tad too heavy and rich, I used half ghee and half oil. The bread slices have to be shallow fried till light golden on both the sides. Ensure that you do not fry more than 2-4 triangles in one go (depending on the size of your pieces).  Please note that the bread slices will soak up all the ghee/ oil in the pan. Some recipes even suggest that the bread slices can be toasted till slight golden. This will definitely be a healthier option but somewhere you might end up compromising on the taste. But do whatever suits you best.

• Layering- Grease a baking tray with ghee or oil. Place the bread slices in the tray and pour one tbsp of the flavoured sugar syrup over each slice to soak it completely. Next pour the creamy milk over the slices. Then sprinkle chopped dry fruits on the slices. Allow the bread to soak in the liquids.
• I had enough slices to make three layers in my dish. I repeated the procedure for each layer. Do not worry about the slices sticking to each other because you will scoop out the dessert and serve it. The second layer gets all gooey and that tastes fantastic.

• Bake this in a pre-heated oven in the middle rack for 15-20 minutes till the liquids almost dry up.

• You may want to decorate this with silver leaves.

• You can serve this warm or chilled. This one was served warm and it was loved by all!

Achaar ke Aaloo: Hyderabadi zone

As everyone knows I love food, eating out especially, and recently I have tried to actively enter the cooking zone as well. End of last year, a friend of mine, who is also an ardent food lover, gifted me a recipe book on my birthday (best gift ever, right?). I have been in the mood for Indian cooking for a while and this recipe book seemed as a great way to kick start the journey. It’s a book on Hyderabadi cuisine by Neeta Mehta and I set down to prepare a few dishes (3 to be precise) for a dinner when we were hosting some family friends at home. 

Today I shall give you the recipe for one of those dishes that was prepared- Achaar ke Aaloo or Potatoes in a Pickle Sauce. The dish was perfect, soft potatoes and proper achaari tangy mirchi vaala taste. Goes well with hot phulkas.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

Potatoes- 700 gm, boiled and cut into 1” pieces

Onions- 5 medium sized, ground in a mixture to form a fine paste

Ginger paste- 1 ½ tsp

Garlic paste- 1 ½ tsp

Red Chili powder- 1 ½ tsp

Turmeric powder (haldi)- ½ tsp 

Salt- to taste

Oil- for frying

Mix Together

Vinegar – ¼ cup and Sugar- 2 tsp

For Tempering

Oil- 2 tbsp

Nigella seeds (Kalonji) 1 tsp

Mustard seeds (Rai)- ½ tsp

Cumin seeds (Jeera) or Coriander seeds- 1 tsp

Dry whole Red Chilies- 8

Method:

• Take a kadhai and heat oil for frying.
• Deep fry the potatoes till they give a slight golden brownish colour. Keep the potatoes aside.
• In another kadhai or pan, heat 8 tbsp oil. Add the onions on medium flame till they turn golden brown.
• To this, add the ginger paste and the garlic paste and fry for about a minute.  Then add the salt, turmeric powder and red chili powder and mix well.
• Add the fried potatoes to the onion-ginger-garlic paste mixture and mix well gently.
• Add about ½ cup water and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes till the spices are well blended and some gravy remains.
• Remove this from the fire and add the sugar and vinegar mixture. Mix well gently and then transfer to the serving dish.
• For tempering- Heat 2 tbsp oil. Add the dry whole red chilies, mustard seeds, coriander seeds or cumin seeds (Note: The recipe originally calls for cumin seeds, however I tried a twist with the coriander seeds which I felt made the temper crispier).  After these add the nigella seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to splutter and the red whole chilies begin to darken pour this baghaar over the dish.
• Serve hot with garma garam phulkas and enjoy!

After eating delicious cupcakes, sweets, chocolates and various desserts on the occasion of valentine’s day and India winning the India-Pak ICC World Cup match, I am sure everyone must be craving for some chatpata and tangy flavor. Cook this Achaar ke Aaloo and satiate those cravings! 

Taste Bhi Health Bhi- Garlic Roasted Broccoli

Being at home means comfort and a lot of pampering. In a typical Punjabi household a lot of pampering equates to a lot of food and sometimes being over stuffed with it.  Thankfully, that’s not the kind of household I come from. Here, the family members have over the years become health conscious and strive to eat right.  big credit goes to mommy dearest who can cook any dish magically with just a smear of oil. I am yet to imbibe this wonderful quality and tactic of her. Nevertheless, after all the Mumbai gluttony that I have been through, I decided to figure out some easy, healthy and yummy recipes during my stay.

I decided stick to a diet of fruits and veggies for a few days and with no choice of my regular dose of gobhi parantha I had to satiate my taste buds with something healthy yet delicious. This is how this dish- Garlic Roasted Broccoli- came into the picture.

Broccoli is an edible green plant and belongs to the cabbage family. It is the large flowering head of the broccoli that is used as a vegetable. It is known to be a hearty and tasty vegetable and is also rich in dozens of nutrients. It is known to be beneficial in many ways including preventing cancer, reducing cholesterol and is a great diet aid. It is believed that a cup of broccoli has as much protein as a cup of rice or corn with half the calories.

Image source

But yes, to make this nutrient packed vegetable into a delicious dish was the task at hand, and what could be more fun than roasting it!

Ingredients:

(Note to Readers: The measurements for this recipe are more of a guideline. You can add more or less olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt or pepper.) 

Broccoli- 2 heads, cut into florets

Olive oil- 2 tbsp

Garlic- 5 cloves, minced

Sale- 1 tsp

Pepper- ½ tsp

Lemon juice- 1 tsp

Pinch of red chili flakes (optional)

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
• Take a large bowl and toss the broccoli along with the olive oil, salt, garlic and black pepper.
  

• Spread the broccoli florets in a single layer on a baking dish.
  
• Bake until the florets and tender enough to pierce a folk and the edges are browning (about 15- 20 minutes depending on how crisp you want it).
• Turn once halfway through the baking process and add the red chili flakes if you wish too.
  
• Once baked, add a generous squeeze of lemon juice over the broccoli before serving.

Happy eating!