Indian Food

If you’re in Delhi for 24 hours, where should you go and what should you eat? This really depends on who you are, your snob quotient, your budget, allergies, tolerance to heat and dust and stuff; you get my drift. Socialite or similar – If you’re a delicate dahling and really couldn’t be seen traipsing the streets swinging your designer handbag on butterfly tattooed arms, then here’s where you should be eating. Breakfast: Blooms, The Eros Hotel managed by Hilton, Nehru Place. They have a great buffet with just about everything you’ll want for a nice breakfast, including a selection of fresh fruits, plenty of space to sit outdoors and gaze upon green lawns combined with peace and quiet. If you’re around on a winter Sunday, their Winter Sunday Brunch is probably the best in the city. Lunch: Olive Beach, Diplomat Hotel, Chanakyapuri. Summer or winter, this beach shines. White pebbled entrance and outdoor seating, with Mediterranean styled interiors, friendly service and great food. If you’re in town on a Sunday, this is also a great option for Sunday Brunch. Tea: Elma’s Tea Room, Hauz Khas Village. I haven’t been here, but from what I hear, it’s expensive and has some interesting fare on offer. It’s also frequented by loads of expats, all of which should suit you just fine, ja? Dinner: Indian Accent, New Friends Colony. The food is delicious, new age Indian, plated in a nouvelle fashion, is expensive, has great service and if you’re lucky, the affable Chef Mehrotra may just drop in to say hello. Rough and Tough – You wear a watch that’s heavier than your boots and it has a few gadgets that Mr. Bond would part with his left testicle to get his grubby paws on. Your color of choice is Olive Green, preferably applied to slacks with lots of pockets, lots and lots and lots of pockets. You started shaving in the 7th grade, own the biggest, heaviest Swiss Army Knife, probably ride an SUV and have a beer belly. You also look around and grin proudly when you belch. The windows rattle when you talk and you can probably out drink a barrack full of sailors. Here’s where you want to go: Breakfast: American Diner, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road. The original diner, The American Diner has great service, multiple choices for breakfast including your beloved bacon and eggs accompanied by perhaps a Quiche Lorraine and a big stack of pancakes with butter and syrup. Lunch: The likes of you needs to go to Chili’s at Vasant Kunj or Gurgaon for lunch and stuff your face with beef burgers with country mashed potatoes, gravy, corn on the cob and a big bowl of chili on the side. You probably want to inhale a chilled beer on the side. Coffee: Walk into any of the Costa Coffees around town and get ‘em to fill up your custom made coffee travel-mug with their strongest brew. You probably like it black; the coffee that is. If you’re feeling peckish, try out any of their sandwiches – I suggest the Smoked Chicken and Gouda. Dinner: Nothing less than a steak dinner for you. Check out the T-Bone at Infinity, Hilton, Mayur Vihar. It’ll come grilled per your specifications and for the sake of your image, I hope you order it medium rare or rare. Well done means you’re a bloody wimp. It also has a perfect layer of fat around the sides and if you’re lucky, you’ll get a peg of JD to go with it. Jhola-Swinging Communist-Type Foodie: You wouldn’t walk into a five star to save your life and believe the establishment is killing the real food out there. You look down upon the pansies of the world who drink bottled water and are perfectly at ease wolfing down crappy papdi chaat, preferring it over the vol au vents your friends have chosen to eat instead. This list is for you, but no worries; I’ve only listed the platinum club of street foods here. ;) Breakfast: Shabrati Nihari, Jama Masjid. Spicy, meaty, oily buffalo Niha

Recipe Courtesy: My Dear friend HimabinduHere's a delicious no-cook recipe from my friend Himabindu. Bindu and I went to school together years and years ago and I think it's been that long that we've seen each other. But thanks to Facebook, we are only a 'message' away from long lost friends.Bindu lives in India and has adorable twin boys who keep her busy. She sent this simple no-cooking involved Walnut Chutney that sounded so good that I had to make it right away. It takes so little time to make and needs everyday pantry ingredients -- so there's no reason not to make it right away. The resulting chutney was soooo good, creamy, nutty with the walnuts and spicy with the chilies and garlic. I had it for lunch with rice, but Bindu says it goes well with rotis too.Read more »

Bottle Gourd and Split Chickpeas / Dudhi ne dar jo shakChapattisBasmati RiceSpicy Carrot and Cabbage Salad / SambharoTomato and Lettuce Salad

I always come across people who have a keen interest in making chocolate and chocolate recipes at home, but, are somehow always afraid to try their hand at it. Chocolate as a commodity has always been a mystery, as it is not an easy ingredient to handle when we want to make something out of it. It has always been considered to be an alien ingredient, but not anymore. You won’t need to admire these delectable creations from a distance at bakeries and chocolate shops anymore. They can now be made by you, in your home kitchen.Here are a few tips and pointers that you should keep in mind while handling chocolate. How chocolate should be melted and handled•Chop large chocolate blocks into smaller pieces and put in a plastic bowl. Avoid using glass or stainless steel bowls as they cause uneven heating.•If using a Microwave oven, place the bowl in it and start the melting process from 40 seconds at 50% intensity of the Microwave. Then, take the bowl out, stir and continue this process till the complete chocolate is melted. Please do not ever keep for longer time at higher temperatures as chocolate needs delicate treatment.•If using a double boiler, take a medium height pan filled one-fourth with water and heat it. When the water is at a simmer, reduce heat to minimum, place a bowl that fits on the mouth of the pan and start putting the chocolate in it to be melted, little at a time. One important point to remember here is that you should not boil the water as it will affect the viscosity of the chocolate and steam from boiling water may play havoc. Keep stirring the chocolate pieces till completely melted. •Remember, water is the biggest enemy of chocolate! Especially, when the chocolate is being melted for use in confectionary, candy making, tempering, etc., you should be very careful that not even a single drop of water gets into it. But if this happens by mistake, keep it aside to use in recipes where it is only an ingredient, and start afresh.•Check for blooming and any odours in the chocolate bars. When chocolate is exposed to warm temperatures, the fat softens and chocolate is then untempered, causing light grey or white areas on the surface of the chocolate. Also, sometimes you might find small white dots on the chocolate, which is due to condensation. •Avoid overheating of chocolate as it results in making the chocolate thick after melting.•If there is a loss of colour in the chocolate bars, this may be due to changes in the light, temperature and humidity.•The preferred working temperatures in the Indian scenario is around 20°C with humidity not more than 50% and preferably on marble work tops. Marble helps keep the chocolate cool.•It is always good to work with clean kitchenware and work tops when handling chocolate and also advisable to keep some kitchenware separate (especially in Indian kitchens where interaction with masalas will give unwarranted flavours to your chocolate) that can be used when working with chocolate. •And this one is for all chocolate lovers – always remember to look at the ingredients printed on the packet. Chocolate with natural cocoa butter rather than vegetable fats is always more healthy. Not to forget, chocolate is good source of energy at any given time. How to store chocolateNow that we have travelled through the processes of making of chocolate and handling it, there is one more aspect that is left which is really important when working with this sinful ingredient, and, that is the storage. The following pointers will help you tackle the issues of storing chocolate perfectly:•In the Indian climate, ideally chocolates should be stored at temperatures ranging from 15°C to 20°C at humidity not more than 50%. •The best way to store chocolate is to put the original packing in plastic wrap, cling film or zip lock bags, place them in airtight containers and put in the refrigerator. One important point to remember is that you should never keep the chocolate in a deep freezer, as this may spoil the c

Cracker Accompaniments Rituparna and I met up for dinner at Mei Kun, the Chinese restaurant at the still-considered-new Kempinski Ambiance, Shahdara, New Delhi. Done up in what’s called ‘contemporary decor’, Mei Kun has the ubiquitous Buddha placed at the entrance, that most oriental places can’t seem to do without. A restaurant has much to do before it can deem it’s menu truly complete, a task Mei Kun appears to be still engaged in. Menu items must not only delight the bulk of those it deems it’s target audience (geographic), but must also contains dishes that arouse superfluous adjectives from those it doesn’t – the people who will spread their views over the demographic slice and make the restaurant a destination. A destination, which is what Mei Kun must aspire to become if it is to be worthy of the brand it is associated with, is made by a combination of ambiance and menu. Considering the ambiance at Mei Kun isn’t really one would remember, much less talk about, this leaves us with the food. Flash Fried Morning Glory There’s little doubt the food at Mei Kun has been the result of a fair amount of thinking. I thought the baskets of garlic, chili and plain crackers delightful. They were accompanied by little glass jars of accompaniments that would more than satisfy pre-dinner drinks, keeping guests happy while the kitchen works to deliver their food. The crunchy, flash fried Morning Glory was a dish I hadn’t seen anyplace else and Mei Kun would have done well to add some more flavor and accompaniments to the dish, making it a concept folks could take back home and talk about later. The Chicken Satay was extremely well done – tender breast meat that easily came off the skewer and could have been what I’d call signature, if the accompanying sauce had more character. The Pomelo Salad, a fruit I hadn’t tasted until then, was a surprise, but only in terms of knowledge of the fruit, as opposed to the flavor in the salad, which again, wasn’t discernible. The raw mango salad and bean, water chestnut and mushroom salad were two contrasts (sweet, salty) that stood apart and were surprises in the brilliance of their execution. Another excellent dish was the wok tossed Pok Choy with Garlic Pok Choy tossed with Garlic One really can’t make a destination with two salads however. We tried quite a few more dishes, and while Rituparna and I probably have differing opinions of the food, I came away with exceedingly average perceptions of what I ate. My chicken based soup had chewy chicken and weak stock; the roast duck had unremarkable skin (possibly the most important part of a roast duck) and mealy flesh; the vegetable pepper-salt wasn’t crunchy enough while the fried rice/noodles were par for the course. It appears Mei Kun has a bit of work to do on the menu with my suggestion being to bring in greater understanding of oriental food and build a menu that shocks rather than lulls, inspires slack jawed awe rather than a weakly raised eyebrow and most important of all, keeps diners talking about the meal for weeks to come.

The general trend around town (read India) today, sees those with rustling pockets rushing to replace overworked carthorses such as Chivas Regal and Johnnie Walker with any bottle that includes the words ‘Single Malt’ on the cover, preferably with a ‘Glen’ included in the brand name. Those with jingling pockets on the other hand, are probably happy to stay with their trusty carthorses, content perhaps with a bottle of single malt tucked away behind hanging silk sarees at the back of a Godrej almirah. Having poked some fun at our predominantly whiskey-drinking culture, the fact does remain that a progression to single malts is the next logical step for all those who can afford the transition. Whiskeys are the ‘return gift’ of choice at weddings, the most pondered over item at parties, the most commonly stocked spirit in most home bars and the most common consumed beverage most places we choose to observe. We drink it on the go (folks knocking back glasses of the amber liquid topped with sprite), out of the boots of cars at weddings, routinely pair it with spicy chicken or vegetarian kebabs and what have you. I’m not sure how many of us attending the tasting at Nero, Le Meridian had heard of Glenfarclas before; I certainly hadn’t. Given the very congenial atmosphere that prevailed, with bar staff struggling to keep up with demands and preferences and service staff replenishing mounds of delicious finger foods at tables buzzing with chatter and exchanged knowledge, Delhi certainly isn’t forgetting Glenfarclas in a hurry. The story of Glenfarclas began in 1836, when John Grant, a successful farmer, took over an existing distillery and began producing Glenfarclas Highland Single Malt Scotch Whiskey. Success, in the form of recognition came soon after, which saw John Grant start the family firm, J. & G. Grant in 1870, with his son, George Grant. Two George Grants (1874 – 1949, 1923 – 2002) later, who took the company to further heights, we had the pleasure of meeting the very well informed and I must add, humorous George Grant, the current Director of Sales. George took us through the history of the distillery and stayed available throughout the evening to answer any questions guests may have. One particularly interesting, and I daresay funny, factoid stays in my memory. Apparently, when purchasing a new still, the old one is carefully looked over and if the old one has any dents or bents on it, the new one is subjected to being banged around to produce as identical bents and dents on it, just in case they had anything to do with the taste of the final product. ‘Superstition’, one might be tempted to label such practices as. George however, says, it’s very much possible that such dents could perhaps be the proverbial ‘sweet spot’ for the still, where the accumulation of gasses and liquids of different densities may contribute to the final product, affecting it in a way that could well be a distinct trademark! Some folks chose to try the 12 year old that came with a sweet spiciness and a hint of peat, in the standard way – two cubes of ice and topped up with soda though I did see a few instructing the bar staff to give them a ‘half soda half water’ mixture. Others found their ideal beverage in the 15 year old; perhaps it was the mild aroma of butterscotch and malty tones that worked for them. Simon, my guest that evening, greatly enjoyed and couldn’t stop praising the 105, a 60% cask strength single malt  that was redolent of apples and pears, was distinctly smokey and ever so smooth despite it’s strength. My personal choice, the 25 year old – a blend of the aromas of marmalade, honey, freshly ground coffee with finish reminiscent of chocolate and smoke. I’m not much of a whiskey man, but I wouldn’t mind a glass or two of that one every so often. What do you stock in your bar? Any single malt

Gudiya picked up a packet of "Kurmuryache Ladoo" at the Indian stores. My mom, was here that time, declared that these can easily be made at home. I was eager to learn it myself since I had never made it before. Kurmuryache Ladoo - (Count 10-12) Puffed Rice Balls Ingredients 2 cups Kurmure/churmure/Murmure/Mamra/puffed Rice 1/2 cup jaggery powder or grated jaggery 2 tbsp water A spoonful of ghee to grease your hands Method 1. Place jagger and water in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Switch on the gas and let jaggery melt. 2. Simmer till the mixture gets sticky and thick. 3. Keep a small bowl of water ready and with the help of a spoon, drop a small drop of jaggery mixture into water. When it forms a ball, it's ready to use. You will need to keep checking for this consistency. 4. Switch off the gas. 5. Add puffed rice and mix till it coats with jaggery. 6. Grease your hands with ghee/clarified butter. 7. Roll into balls. Note - 1. This proportion gives me about 10-12 ladoos. This count varies depending on the size of the ladoos you are making. Print Page

Crepe with custard cream

Peanut power smoothie

Ingredients:Parboiled Rice - 2 cups Urad Dhal - 1/2 cup Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon Puffed Rice (Pori) - 100 grams Maida - 1 tablespoon Butter - 100 grams or as required Cooking Soda - 2 pinches Salt - 2 teaspoons or as per taste These butter-rich dosas, called as "Davanagere Benne Dosa", are the speciality dish of "Davanagere" a city of Karnataka. I got the recipe from a leading newspaper. However, I reduced the quantity of Puffed Rice called for in the original recipe and tried it. I got a nice brown crispy dosa. It is normally served with mashed potato and fried coconut chutney. I served it with "Sambar" - may not be authentic - but it is good. Method: Soak rice and dhal (along with fenugreek) separately for 8 hours. Wash and drain the water. First put the soaked rice in a wet grinder and grind it coarsely. Add soaked urad dhal, puffed rice, maida to the coarse rice paste and grind it to a fine paste. Remove and add salt. Mix it well and allow to ferment over night or atleast 8 hours. Next day morning, add cooking soda to the dosa batter and mix it well. If necessary add sufficient water to make it flowing consistency. Heat a Cast Iron Tawa and grease it with little butter. Pour one big laddle of batter and make it a thin round dosa. Put little butter here and there on top of the dosa and also little butter around the dosa. Allow to cook till it become nice brown. Flip it over and cook for few more seconds. Remove. Serve with Mashed Potato and coconut chutney or sambar.