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

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.)

TBK: Straight out of a Bohri Kitchen in Colaba

While restaurants are usually the go-to place when it comes to trying out new cuisines, they will not, to quite an extent, be able to deliver to you the taste of a dish the way it is cooked in a traditional home. A restaurant will always have its limitations owing to the large amounts of food being prepared at a go, the preservatives added and sometimes the mindless amounts of masalas and oil in the dishes. I love eating out and gorging on food at various eateries, however there is nothing like the taste of hyderabadi mutton biryani cooked in a Hyderabadi household, or sarson ka saag with makki ki roti presented to you in a Punjabi household (with oodles of buttery love of course) because those are after all like maa ke haath ka khaana. Sadly most of us will not have access to the different home kitchens for various authentic cuisines. This is where home kitchen run lunch concepts come into the picture.

I recently visited The Bohri Kitchen or TBK, a start up in the form of a home kitchen lunch concept. TBK is open to a maximum of 12-14 guests at a given time on a weekend for a toothsome 3 course Bohri meal that is served at the apartment of the Kapadias, a Bohri family in Colaba. The purpose of TBK team is to awaken your taste buds to the not so widely available yet quite intriguing flavors of the Bohri cuisine and they very graciously achieve it. The community meal venture is a father-mother-run trio where the mother, Chef Nafisa Kapadia, gets together her decades of cookery skills to conceptualize a menu so gastronomically satisfying that you will be licking your fingers shamelessly in front of the hosts and the other guests by the end of the meal. Mr. Turab Kapadia, the father, is a full time wholesaler-businessman who is responsible for obtaining the freshest produce that goes into the kitchen. 

The pre-sent menu for the day, as was available for everyone to view on their Facebook page, consisted of Bohri Chicken Kebabs, Tandoori Chicken, Aaloo Masala, Pineapple Walnut Raita, Paaya and Mutton Kheema Khichdi, and Vanilla Ice-cream drizzled with chocolate syrup and sprinkled with pan-roasted almonds. Every lunch has a special menu dedicated to it which is updated by TBK team on its event page. This was the 8^th such event conducted by TBK and they have hosted 9 lunches so far.

As soon as we entered the Colaba apartment, we were received warmly and ushered to the drawing room. This was where our Bohri food adventure was to begin. We were welcomed with fresh homemade lemon iced tea infused with flavours of mint and ginger. Our sapped energies from the notorious traffic that we faced on the Saturday afternoon were revived with a glass of this delish welcome drink. Alongside we exchanged courtesies and got ourselves acquainted with the rest of the guests present at TBK.

The Big Thaal!

‘Hunger pangs’ was written all across our faces and the short wait came to an end as soon as we saw two big plates of Bohri Chicken Kebabs coming our way. The Bohri Chicken Kebabs were served in a big thaal also consisting of Aaloo Masala, Pineapple Walnut Raita, lemon wedges, beetroots mixed in lime juice and sugar, garlic chutney and a small bowl of salt. I paused for a moment and feasted on this pretty sight with my eyes. Munaf Kapadia, the son from the father-mother-son trio running TBK, who is the brains behind the brand, positioning, social media strategy and business rationale behind TBK apart from being a full time salesman at a leading internet company, informed us that before beginning a meal the Bohris take a pinch of salt to their tongues. Salt stimulates the taste buds of the tongue to their maximum, thus increasing secretion. It also enhances the intensity of the flavours of the food on the palate letting you enjoy the meal fully. Did as told and from there on there was no stopping.

A closer look at the Bohri Chicken Kebabs

A little bit of this and a little bit of that, the first of many helpings on my plate consisted of a Bohri Chicken Kebab, garlic chutney, Aaloo Masala, Pineapple Walnut Raita and a lemon wedge.  The gorgeous Bohri Chicken Kebabs made of juicy shredded chicken accompanied with an assortment of vegetables including capsicum, carrots, cabbage and French beans and coated in an egg batter were devoured by all the foodies. Chef Nafisa Kapadia has magic in her hands. Classic is pairing it with Garlic Chutney and the best way to eat this Kebab, as recommended by Munaf himself, is to make holes in the Kebab and squeeze lemon juice on top so as to let the tangy flavor get into the interiors of the Kebab. Not very dense, or oily, the Bohri Chicken Kebabs were a great way to start our meal- did not make us feel heavy; ergo left us satisfied yet still wanting more.

Aaloo Masala

The Aaloo Masala is a simple yet delectable dish prepared in a paste of red masala and kokum. A little spicy and a little sweet, this semi gravied dish with great flavours is a pleasant addition to the starters. But it was the Pineapple Walnut Raita that kept coming back to my plate. Curd has always been one of the best ways to balance out a hot spicy meal and raitas are my favourite. There might be some who feel that pineapple would not go well in a raita, and to them- try it people; it’s a refreshing and welcome change. The sweet and sour mix of Pineapple and curd balanced by chopped walnuts and roasted jeera made it an excellent accompaniment with the food served to us.

Pineapple Walnut Raita

Tandoori Chicken

Next in line, as we were almost done with the Bohri Chicken Kebabs was the Tandoori Chicken. Tandoori Chicken, a very popular dish, is chicken roasted in yogurt and spices. However, what was served to us was more of a semi dry preparation of chicken well marinated in yogurt and spices overnight and grilled to perfection along with a tomato based gravy. A foodie at the table shared with us how he had felt a little disappointment on knowing that we were going to be served tandoori chicken as it isn’t a unique Bohri dish so to speak. However, all that was forgotten when this dish was tasted as it is one of the best semi dry Indian chicken preparations that I have tried in a while. The chicken was succulent and packed with flavors. The tangy tomato gravy was a great twist to what we otherwise know as Tandoori Chicken. As rightly suggested by one of the guests at the lunch, maybe the Chef could rename this dish to Grilled Dahi Chicken.

Khammi Ki Rotis

Alongside the Tandoori Chicken we were served hot and crispy Khammi Ki Rotis. These rotis are prepared with dough of maida or all purpose flour which has been fermented overnight. These are then cooked in a clay oven heated by coal. Chef Nafisa Kapadia went on to explain that these rotis can be kept for days and need to be heated over the tava with ghee or butter. Usually served as soft rotis, the twist added by TBK was that they served these as crisp or karari rotis. The Khammi Ki Rotis went extremely well with the delicious gravy of the Tandoori Chicken.

Paaya

Paaya

Finally we were introduced to the protagonist for the day- the Paaya and the Mutton Kheema Khichdi. Paaya was accompanied with the Lamba Pav, which apparently gets its name from the long loaf of bread that it is before it is cut up into smaller pieces and served. The Paaya was an amazing blend of spices cooked in the onion and tomato gravy with the meat so soft and juicy that it was literally falling off the bones. 

Not too spicy and not bland, a perfect balance for those who do not like over the top spicy food and quite a refreshing change for those who do too with the whirlpool of flavours in your mouth. Dip the Lamba Pav in the meaty Paaya curry and I can bet that you will be smiling from ear to ear.

Lamba Pav

The Mutton Kheema Khichdi, or rice cooked with masoor daal containing mutton kheema, peas, potatoes and cut up pieces of boiled egg, was quite an interesting dish and was served with a bowl of burning coal to add the smoky flavour. Mix some of the curry of the Paaya in it, compliment it with the Pineapple Walnut Raita and feast on a gastronomical delight.  Another common way to eat this, as was told to us, is to use a piece of the Khammi Ki Roti to collect the Khichdi mixed with the curry and eat altogether. This way or that, this combination is sure to leave all meat lovers with a feeling of complete satisfaction.

Mutton Kheema Khichdi

While all this was going on, Chef Nafisa Kapadia had also concocted a soothing Jaljeera soda for all the guests which went delightfully along with the scrumptious food.

Ice-cream with chocolate sauce and almonds

To end all this on a sweet note, we were served vanilla ice-cream drizzled generously with chocolate syrup and sprinkled with pan-roasted almonds. Well ‘nothing Bohri about it’ but who would not like this simple yet yummy ice-cream dessert. However maybe they should consider adding some traditional Bohri dessert(s) to their menus.  For a good digestion after this feast of the Gods, supari-less paan was also served.

Paan

What needs special mention is the hospitality of Mrs. Kapadia and her son Munaf. They kept giving us tid-bits about the food now and then and told us a little about the Bohri culture as well. Not once did we feel that we were at their place for lunch for the first time. Such was the vibe that was felt at TBK. At times it was comical to see Munaf run up to his mom in the kitchen to get answers to some of the questions thrown at him by the guests, but it all went on to show the warmth and close-knit structure of TBK.

At the end, as happens at a Bohri household, Munaf went around with a jug of warm water and a vessel and helped the guests wash their hands, once again pointing towards the love and affection that one is sure to receive at TBK.

***

Will I go there again? Definitely. I am extremely eager to try the Nargisi Kebabs, the Mutton Kheema Samosas and the Mutton Biryani prepared by the lovely Chef!

How to get this amazing experience? To join them for a splendid TBK lunch you can follow The Bohri Kitchen on Facebook and watch out for the weekly events they host at their place. To join you need to RSVP on the event and drop them a private message with your phone number and the team will get in touch with you post that to confirm your RSVP. They claim to have a no serial killer policy and are sticklers about who they invite since the lunch is hosted at their apartment. Having mutual friends with someone from TBK team helps. If you have a large group of 6 or more you could drop them a message on Facebook or email them at thebohrikitchen@gmail.com to organize your very own custom TBK. 

Kob Khun Ka 2014

Aromatic lemon grass, coconut milk, palm sugar, kaffir lime leaves, various colours and spices- Thai cuisine consists of all this and much more. From the time I have tasted Thai food, especially Green Thai curry, I have loved it and the authentic Thai cuisine has been the highlight of my two trips to Thailand so far (more than shopping!). So when I had time on my hands and a great recipe to go as well, I gathered the ingredients and set out to cook this gorgeously divine and tasty dish. I was a little apprehensive with respect to how it would turn out since it has never been cooked back at home, but even in such situations, applying the thumb rules of
# reading the recipe again and again,
# using fresh ingredients as far as possible, and
# tasting and tweaking the recipe as per what suits your palate as you go almost always gets you good results.

After all, no recipe is carved in stone. With all this in mind I set out to prepare my first ever Green Thai curry with Chicken and Mushrooms. 

Here’s my version of the recipe.

Green Thai Curry with Chicken and Mushrooms

Serves 3-4 persons

For The Curry:

Green Curry Paste- 1 cup
Coconut Milk – 2 cups
Oil- 1 tbsp
Mushrooms- 100-150 gms thickly sliced
Chicken (boneless)- 150 gms  cut into small pieces

(Note: You can choose the veggies/ meat that you want to throw in. Popular and most used options include bell peppers, broccoli, baby corn, mushroom, cottage cheese or paneer, chicken and prawns.)
Sugar- a pinch
Salt- to taste

For The Green Curry Paste (makes 1 Cup):

Lemon Grass- 2 tbsp finely chopped
Coriander- 1 cup chopped
Onions- ¼  cup roughly chopped
Garlic- 1 tbsp roughly chopped

Green Chilies- 8-10 roughly chopped
Coriander  or  Dhaniya Powder- 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds or Jeera Powder- 2 tbsp
Black Peppercorns- ½  tsp freshly ground

Ginger- 25 mm (1") piece
Salt- to taste

Sugar- to taste
Lemon Juice- 1 tsp
Lemon Rind- ¼ tsp, grated

Method 

• Start off by combining all the green curry paste ingredients with approximately ½ cup water and blend in a mixer. You should be able to form a fine green curry paste with thick gravy like consistency. Keep this aside.
• Heat the oil in a wok or a broad non-stick pan.
• Add the green curry paste and sauté on a medium flame to release the fragrance- for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Add mushrooms, mix well and sauté on a medium flame for 1 minute. Then add the coconut milk.
  
• Add the chicken pieces, stirring to incorporate and let the curry sauce come to a boil.
• As the curry comes to a boil reduce the flame to medium low for a nice simmer. Turn the heat down and cover the pan to let the chicken pieces cook. 
• Once the chicken is cooked check the taste and add salt and sugar accordingly. Note that this curry should be a balance of salty, spicy, sweet and sour flavours. If too spicy, you could add some more coconut milk or adjust the sugar.
• Mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 more minute.
• Voila! Serve hot with steamed rice.

Easy peasy right? Try it and surprise someone :) .  I can't wait to make it for the family back in Dehradun.

With this we come to the last post of 2014. Let's bid this year a great farewell and resolve to cook more, have even better foodie experiences and try new things in the coming 2015. Kob Khun Ka or Thainkyeww 2014. You have been extremely kind to me and have been full of joy rides. 2014 is special also because it is the year in which I finally started blogging and Daiquiri Diaries was born. Here's hoping that 2015 is even better. I wish all you foodies a fabulous and fantastic 2015!

My Comfort Food

Hello hello hello! So I have been missing, hibernating and undercover(s) (literally) for a while now, at least as far as the blog is concerned. Not to say that I haven’t been gorging on scrumptious food now and then but the lazy bum in me has just not been penning it down. And could that be because nothing was as inspiring to be written about? Let me think. No. it’s just me- I am lazy. However, I have finally come out of my shell and I am ready to bombard the blog, for the benefit of all my lovely readers, with some delicious stories.

Winters are here, whatever little we get in Bombay (Nothing compared to the winters in the North. Nothing!), and the mood is all set. Spicy food is always a plus in winters because of the heat it generates. And here, keeping in line with the lovely weather, I give to you the tale of me cooking this amazing, simple, colourful, fiery and delectable Super Junglee Chicken Curry. This one is specifically for all the mirchi lovers but of course, the spice can be adjusted for those with delicate palates.  Another fuss free dish that I love, and which turns out extremely tasty is our very own, close to heart, and comfort food for many- Paneer Bhurji.

Both the dishes are extremely easy to prepare and are well suited for someone to inaugurate their inner chef with!

Super Junglee Chicken Curry

This dish is extremely close to my heart because it was the first chicken dish prepared by me without any help/ supervision from my mom or any other person. It was just one of those times when I really wanted to eat the ghar ka chicken curry with rice and well when you’re staying over 1500 kilometers away from your home then no, calling up mommy and requesting chicken curry is not an option. So I just decided to give this recipe that I had found online a shot. I mean how difficult could it be right? Right! It is extremely simple. You can actually read a book or watch your favourite movie side by side or even chit chat on your phone while this dish is being prepared. Trust me.

Let’s get started!

This dish serves 2-3 persons.

Ingredients:

Skinless Chicken (on the bone)- ½ kg (washed and cleaned)

Oil- 3 tbsp

Fennel Seeds / Saunf - 2 tsp

Red Onions  - 2 large thinly sliced

Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tbsp

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Red Chilli Powder - 2 tsp

Garam Masala Powder - 2 tsp

Curry leaves – 2 springs

Tomato-4 chopped

Salt to taste

Method:

• Heat the oil in a pressure cooker on medium flame and once heated, add the fennel seeds/ saunf.
• Once the fennel seeds have crackled add the onions and saute for about 5 minutes.
• When the onions have been sautéed well, add in the ginger garlic paste and mix well.
•  Next add in the salt and all the spice powders. Mix well.
• Throw in the chopped tomatoes. The tomatoes can be roughly or finely chopped  depending on the type of texture you prefer. Throw in the curry leaves as well and cook till the tomatoes turn mushy.
  
• Once the tomatoes have become soft add in the chicken pieces. Toss well in the masala.
• Now cover the pressure cooker and let it cook for 3 whistles. (This is the time you can read a book or do something else on the side).
• After the 3 whistles, lower the flame and cook for 15 minutes on a low flame.
• Switch off the flame and let the pressure go all by itself. 
• After opening the pressure cooker add the coriander leaves and mix well.
• Serve with rice or roti.

Paneer Bhurji

Simple vegetarian comfort food- that’s what Paneer Bhurji means to me. It is a popular north Indian dish. Bhurji means scrambled and in this dish the main ingredient is scrambled cottage cheese. I remember there used to be days at home when I would insist on Paneer Bhurji being made if something that I wasn’t too fond of had been prepared for a meal. The fact that it’s simple, quick and easy is an added bonus.

This dish serves 2-3 persons.

Ingredients:

Paneer (Cottage Cheese) - 200 gms, crumbled

Red Onion- 1 medium sized, finely chopped

Tomato- 1 large or 2 medium sized finely chopped

Green Chillies- 1 or 2, finely chopped

Ginger Garlic paste- 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder or haldi- ¼ tsp

Red Chilli Powder- ½ tsp

Garam Masala Powder- ¼ tsp

Cumin Seeds or Jeera- ½ tsp

Oil/ Ghee/ Butter - 1.5 tbsp

Salt as required

Coriander/dhania leaves for garnishing (optional)

Method:

• First and foremost, crumble the paneer/cottage cheese and keep aside. If you are using frozen paneer (Amul or any other brand), take it out of the packet and soak it in luke warm water for a few minutes. This will defrost the paneer and make it soft thus making it easy to crumble.  (Note- The paneer can be crumbled by chopping, grating or mashing with hands. Out of all these methods, mashing the paneer with hands would be the best so as to retain the soft texture of the paneer. I would insist you do that. Get your hands messy. It’s worth it!)
• Heat the oil/ ghee or butter in a pan and once heated, add the cumin seeds.
• Once the cumin seeds have browned add the onions and sauté for a few minutes.
• Do not let the onions cook for a long time. As soon as they turn translucent, add the ginger garlic paste and the chopped green chillies. Saute the ingredients till the raw aroma of the ginger-garlic goes away.
• Then add the tomatoes and cook till they become soft. Adding a pinch of salt at this stage will help the tomatoes cook faster.
• Once the tomatoes have become soft, add all the dry spice powders - turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala powder. Mix well.
• At this stage add the crumbled paneer and let it cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Do not cook the paneer for a long time as it would lose its soft texture.
• Lastly add chopped coriander leaves to paneer bhurji and mix.
• Serve the delicious and colorful paneer bhurji with toast/ roti/ paranthas or pav. I served mine with fresh and warm pav :) !

Needless to say, both these dishes make me think of home and home food! Try them out and surprise someone :)

Let's get #Social

Long overdue review of one of the newer places in SOBO- Colaba Social is situated right opposite the Starbucks at Colaba. A friend of mine insisted that I make this place jump the queue in my list of places to eat at in Bombay and I am so glad that I listened to her. This is one place that is sure to give a lot of cafes and restaurants in south Bombay a run for their money. Why you ask? Well ……. go on reading.

True, from the outside it doesn’t look like much, which is the case with a lot of places in Bombay, owing to the cramped up places and lack of good infrastructure. However, ‘do not judge a book by its cover’ is a phrase that truly goes well for this place. Once you enter, you see that this place has been done up quite well and is in fact rather interesting. There’s an upside-down fan which you will see on the ceiling near about the entrance. Since it was moving I couldn’t really capture an image. The relaxed seating, with soft lights, is arranged on the ground as well as the first floor. The bar has empty alcohol bottles hanging from the ceiling and one I saw read “pahua” ( yes the chiknichameli “pahua” *chuckles*).  Further on, you shall see a swing which has been positioned at one of the tables as a substitute for a chair. Unfortunately, that table was occupied and I couldn’t experience sitting on the swing, but then there’s always a next time!

\When I had called up the place on a Sunday to book a table for three for lunch, I was informed that they do not accept reservations which made me skeptical, however, luckily on reaching the restaurant we were ushered in and seated without waiting. The first thing you’ll notice on your table is this unique napkin-menu bucket sorta thing. I don’t know what you call it and I haven’t even seen it anywhere else but it looked pretty interesting. Also their menus are not the usual cardboard book-type but instead are “newspaper menus”- orange for food and blue for drinks- and what variety in there! For a place like this to offer from burgers to biryani to Thai food to a great breakfast selection, especially at the listed prices, is commendable!

Elvis Presley French Toast (Rs. 150)

We were exceptionally fascinated by the name “Elvis Presley French Toast” (Rs. 150) and since we hadn’t breakfasted, we started off with this. Honestly, I was expecting two limp slices of bread coated and fried in a sweetened egg batter with some sliced bananas on the side. However, what was actually served to us was beyond my then imagination. Social does justice to the name and serves the French Toast, coated with oodles of peanut butter and chocolate, on an old record disk (innovative right?). Sweet and gooey with peanut butter… I was all smiles and found the “Elvis Presley French Toast” superb, delicious, scrumptious and a must must try for all the peanut butter lovers out there.. And mind you, it’s heavy so only if you are 150% sure that you won’t want to eat anything else, order this all by yourself. Since we were anyway quite confused after looking at their menu we decided to split this dish amongst the three of us in order to have space in our tummies to try the other goodies.

For drinks we ordered a Trip on the Drip (Rs. 280), a South Pacific Rim (Rs. 280) and a pint of Kingfisher Ultra (Rs. 140). Trip on the Drip is Vodka +Peach Schnapps + Orange & Cranberry Juice. A great cocktail; request them to make it a tad less sweet and you will be slurping on this one with joy. The amazing thing however was that this came in an actual drip pouch! South Pacific Rim is White Rum + Dark Rum+ Pineapple + Orange Juice and Grenadine. I did not like this as much and would give it a miss the next time I go there. I felt it had a very medicinal-cough-syrupish taste. And the chilled beer… well that’s always refreshing. I ended up ordering a Trip on the Drip after trying to finish my South Pacific Rim and my friends stuck to beer after their first round.

(L) South Pacific Rim (R) Trip on the Drip (Rs. 280 each)

Habi-B-Q Lamb Bao (Rs. 240)

For the snacky adventure, we decided to go ahead with a portion of the Habi-B-Q Lamb Bao (Rs. 240). This dish has lamb patty with Arabic flavours and is served with feta and hummus. The Bao was soft and warm and the succulent lamb patty was delicious and palatable. Hummus was a good add on.

Further, for our mains (and mind you we unknowingly over ordered considering we had already washed down the Elvis Presley French Toast and the Habi-B-Q Lamb Bao) we decided to call for the Thai Thali (with chicken)( Rs. 250+ Rs. 60 for the chicken), the OTT Dawg (Rs. 310) and the Jus-C Lucy Burger (Rs. 380).

In the Thai Thali we were served rice, green Thai curry, raw papaya salad, Goan prawns pickle and fryums! Yes these fryums are what we used to eat at birthday parties when we were kids. The Thai curry was appetizing, balanced flavor of coconut milk, lemon grass and not too spicy. The Goan prawns pickle was a great add on to this and the fryums, well, those were the fun eats. Truth be told, with the varied menu that they offer, I expected just about an average dish but was blown away with the flavours in this one.

Thai Thali (Rs. 250+60 for the chicken)

OTT Dawg (Rs. 310)

The OTT Dawg- a bacon wrapped dog, Mexican lamb chilli, cheese and fries- was definitely ‘over-the-top’. The bread was soft and warm and the sausage full of juices. There was a whole layer of cheese on it (*alert cheese lovers*). The sauce was a tad sweet for my taste and this OTT Dawg would be the perfect ‘Dawg’ if there could be a little more spice in it. However, it was huge and filling.

The Jus-C Lucy Burger comes with a knife stuck in it- I was impressed with the presentation. It also made a great picture! The menu describes this as a “double whammy of tenderloin patties with molted cheese center and Jus, Cajun Fries”. The tenderloin patty was well done; not dry at all. It had a very comfort-food-have-another-bite feel to it. And even though I was stuffed, when I dug into this I was smiling with the sheer taste of it in my mouth.

Jus-C Lucy Burger (Rs. 380)

We all were literally full up to our necks and I needed to take a stroll to realize that I actually could move after eating so much. We walked out extremely satisfied customers and I know this place will be a regular haunt for me.

Will I go there again? Yes, as I was so happy with what I ate this time I am really looking forward to trying the rest of their menu slowly and steadily. The chefs there really know what’s going on in the kitchen. The prices are great and the ambience, well, you’d love it. It’s a nice get-away for after work drinks and tid-bits as well. The service is decent, the staff is jolly and they made sure that we had an excellent experience. With all this our cheque was just about a little over 3k split amongst the 3 of us- Total VFM place.

Where is it? 24, Ground Floor, Glen Rose Building, BK BomanBehram Marg, Apollo Bunder, Colaba, Mumbai  Call 022 22828484