Riot of Flavours

Pasta is comfort food. I'm sure all of you would probably agree with me. Of late, I've been obsessed with pasta - and it's a staple at least once a week at home. Another obsession is Farfalle, which I've suddenly started preferring over the regular Penne. That's why its funny that I've only posted one pasta recipe on this blog.

Some time last month, one of my favourite fellow food bloggers, Bombay Chowparty -- you know her; she was the inspiration behind the Mango Pavlova -- posted her latest pasta picture on Facebook. I was instantly intrigued and pretty much hounded her for the recipe. She had made pasta with breadcrumbs, herbs and shallots. So, under some pressure to post it, she did and I made the pasta that very night. It was divine - so different, simple and fragrant. I made it again today - tweaked it just a bit - and decided to post it here.

So, the recipe is simple.

This is what you need:

250 gm of any pasta you like (I used farfalle)
4 slices of old bread (if it is still moist, put it in the oven for 5 minutes or so)
4-5 garlic pods
4 tbsp oil
A handful of mixed fresh herbs - basil, parsley and coriander (you can use dry herbs too)
3 spring onions
1 dried red chilli (chopped) or a teaspoon of red chilli flakes
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp of lime zest
salt to taste

The ingredients all chopped up

Put a pot of water to boil and once it does cook the pasta in it with a little salt till al dente. In the meanwhile, in a blender, blend up the bread and garlic till it resembles proper breadcrumbs. Chop up the spring onions, chillies and herbs. Put the chillies and mixed breadcrumbs in a hot pan with 3 tbsp of oil and fry till the mixture is golden and crispy. Now, add the chopped up herbs and springs onions and saute till fragrant. Add the salt, sugar and lime zest.

That's how the mixture looks before the pasta goes in.

Then put in the cooked and drained pasta and toss well. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and toss well. I didn't have any, but you could top this with some grated parmesan cheese. I'm sure it would round up the pasta beautifully. This would go perfectly with a soup, me thinks.

And, it's ready

By the way, did you like the new look? My friend Dyuti and I had loads of fun creating it and I'm in love with the new avatar. Let me know how you liked it.

Lemons and limes are very different from each other - while lemons are bigger, yellow and have a thick rind/skin, limes are smaller often green (it gets yellow once it ripens), more tart and has a thinner skin. Of late, I've fallen head over heels in love with limes. Proof is in the pudding as they say. I've used it in Honey and Lime Roast Chicken and in the Lime and Yoghurt Cake.

So, as the obsession continued, I decided I needed to use the blowtorch that my husband surprised me with last month. While I don't have ramekins to make a creme brulee, I could use it for meringues, and that's how the idea of making something with meringue came about. After some research, I found a recipe for lemon meringue cupcakes online and decided to try it out, but using lime instead of lemons. The result was amazing, this was the first time I made lime curd and torched some meringue. Everyone simply loved how the curd burst into a zillion flavours in their mouth and the meringue was soft and supple.

This is what you need:

For the cupcakes

1 cup/200 ml fresh cream (I used Amul)
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1.5 cups self raising flour
Zest from one lime

For the lime curd

1/2 cup lime juice
100 gm butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg
3 egg yolks

For the meringue

3 egg whites
1/2 cup icing sugar

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven at 180 C. In a large bowl, pour in the cream (at room temperature), sugar and eggs. Whisk until smooth, add the lime zest and then, little by little, sift in the flour, all the while whisking, till the mixture is just incorporated. Pour the mixture into your muffin tin and bake for around 20-25 minutes at 180 C till a toothpick comes out clean. This cupcake is very mild in taste and is a bit dense, but goes perfectly with the tartness of the curd and lightness of the meringue.

To make the lemon curd, place a dish over rapidly boiling water (the water must not touch the bottom of the dish) and put in the butter and lime juice till the butter melts. Then, add the sugar and whisk vigorously till it melts. Now, add the egg and egg yolks and continuously whisk, till the mixture becomes viscous and glossy. Keep aside to cool.

Once the cupcakes are ready, take them out and let them cool for 10 minutes. Then, scoop out some of the cupcake in the middle and fill each cupcake with the cooled down lime curd smoothing it over the top. Don't forget to eat the scooped out crumbs.

When you are ready to serve the cupcakes, prepare the meringue. Always remember, while making meringue, the bowl and whisks used must be dry. Whisk together the egg whites in a deep bowl till they triple in size and form soft peaks. Now add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time and whisk well, continue to add and whisk till firm peaks are formed.

Whisking the egg whites

Sprinkling the sugar

Put this mixture into a piping bag and pipe over the cupcakes covering the curd. Take a blow torch and torch the meringue till it is a toasty golden-brown. Alternatively, in case you do not have a blow torch, preheat the oven to 180 C before making the meringue. Once you've piped it over the cupcake, pop the cupcakes into the hot oven for 60-90 seconds till the top of the meringue is golden-brown. Serve and enjoy.

Note: For more zing, you can add lime zest into the meringue as well.

I haven't really been having a very good week - on the job front. But one of the highlights of my week was when a few friends came over for dinner. The day was quite hectic, and while I'd initially planned to start cooking at least 3 hours prior, I ended up doing so just one hour prior, so it was quite a rush.

However, I improvised as I went and made Curry Crumb Fried Chicken, Chicken Lasagne, and Mexican Dark Chocolate Brownie - and it was a hit, albeit a late dinner. While lasagne is something I've made before, and brownie (in general), crumb fried chicken was something I've never really made before.

I was inspired by Nigella Lawson's 'Delicious, Oven-Baked Un-Deep Fried Chicken'. With both the lasagne and brownie vying for the oven, I knew another baked dish would be too much. Plus, I didn't have the time to marinade the chicken for six hours and then roll it in crumbs and then leave it for an hour; so, I went by instinct and created my very own curry crumb fried chicken.

By curry, I mean I added garam masala powder, which, in my mind, is what the Westerners call 'curry'. My friend Richie created a simple but amazingly flavourful dip that married perfectly with the chicken.

Here's how it looked:

Delicious, ain't it?

This is what you need:

For the marinade

1/2 kg fresh chicken breast (cut into strips)
3 large tbsp curd
1 tsp dry herbs/2 tbsp fresh herbs (you can use basil, parsley)
4-5 cloves of garlic
1 tsp chilli powder (adjust to your spice quotient; mine was medium spicy)
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves (chopped)
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste

For the crumb

2 cups of bread crumbs (don't bother to buy. Simply toast old bread for 5 minutes and then grind and use)
1 tsp garam masala powder
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry

Marinade the chicken in the ingredients above and mix well. Keep aside for at least 30 minutes and this can go up to overnight. Season the breadcrumbs with the ingredients mentioned. When you are ready to fry the chicken, roll the pieces in the well seasoned crumbs and deep fry in the oil till the chicken is golden brown and tender. Serve with the dip.

Note: Alternatively, you can bake the chicken (which is what I'd intended earlier). After it has been marinated, roll in the bread crumbs and store in the fridge for at least an hour and then bake at 180 C for 15-20 minutes. I haven't tried it, but Nigella says so. Let me know how it works if you do try it.

Garlic dip (by Richie Mehta)

2 tbsp mayonnaise
4 tbsp curds
2-3 garlic cloves
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Store in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes for the ingredients to come together. Serve with any finger food.

I've been craving some really good food, European style. Last weekend a friend and I decided to meet up somewhere in Bandra and while I had several options in mind, I'd been wanting to visit Le Pain Quotidien (or LPQ, as its called) at Bandra Kurla Complex since it first opened last year. So, we decided to meet there on a hot Sunday afternoon.

Le Pain Quotidien means "The Daily Bread." And, that's precisely what LPQ sells - fresh, warm, crusty bread - amongst granola, chocolate spread, jams and other condiments. Another unique feature at LPQ is its communal table, which is long enough to seat 12 people who can mingle with each other over bread and coffee.
LPQ was first started by Alain Coumont in Belgium and came to India in late 2010-early 2011 and is certainly here to stay. The eatery is located in Colaba and Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai. The interiors in both locations are characterised by warm wooden floors and furniture, and together with a display of fresh breads and condiments give a sense of warmth and comfort. The branch at Bandra-Kurla Complex also has alfresco dining in a beautiful courtyard.

Now, I'll finally get to the food before I bore you anymore with details.

We were seated at a table facing the courtyard and the view was gorgeous. It;ll be much more gorgeous in the rains. I can imagine sitting facing the courtyard watching the rain fall and having a piping hot meal. And, I'm rambling. The menu is limited (and rotated every few months) and divided into various categories - easy to read and understand.

The menu

Once you place an order, you are served a portion of crusty bread that can be eaten with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar placed on the table - simple pleasures! For our meal, we called for mozzarella di bufala & plum tomatoes salad, seared basil chicken with mushroom risotto and spinach, and a spinach and ricotta ravioli in a tomato-based sauce.

Bread slices

The bread was crusty and fresh, but not warm. It tasted delicious with the olive oil and vinegar and even the salad once we'd asked the waiter to serve warm bread.

Mozzarella di bufala and plum tomatoes salad

The salad was simple and delicious - sliced tomatoes with fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese with rocket, lettuce and spinach was fresh, zingy, and the pesto dressing just right.

Seared basil chicken

The seared basil chicken (which looked simply gorgeous) was served atop mushroom risotto and spinach in a basil-cream sauce. The sauce was light and risotto perfectly al dente. The chicken was tender and well seasoned and together all these components made for a very delicious dish.

Classic combination - spinach and ricotta ravioli

The ravioli was beautiful. I loved the texture of the ricotta filling, and the sundried tomatoes added a new dimension to the dish. Also, the parmesan shavings were aptly crumbly, while the ravioli itself was fresh with the perfect bite in the tangy tomato sauce.

We had a variety of desserts to choose from, but I wanted the chocolate, hazelnut and nougat eclair, and my friend fell in love with the mango and white chocolate tart.

Mango and white chocolate tart

The mango tart was quite delicious, but I found the proportion of mango to white chocolate lacking. It was more mangoey. However, it wasn't overtly sweet and that was refreshing. Plus, the pastry was fresh and perfectly crumbly.

Delightful chocolate, hazelnut, nougat eclair

The chocolate, hazelnut and nougat eclair was - for the lack of a better expression - to die for. Lathered in chocolate and nougats, the flaky pastry was filled with oozy chocolate and was simply delectable. My only complaints - it wasn't hazelnutty enough and the eclair wasn't warmed even though we'd asked them to warm it. But, it made for a good finish to the meal.

Yes, I will go back there again - for the ambience the salad and definitely the bread.

Note: By the way, LPQ has announced a tartine-making workshop in association with Brown Paper Bag Check it out here and sign up NOW!

Okay, I couldn't wait to share this with all you readers out there! I had the most delicious lunch today - something that I have - as usual - been craving since I got some mushrooms home early this week. I picked up sage some time ago on a whim and was dying to use it in pasta. So I made some farfalle in a burnt butter sauce with sage and garlic and it was heavenly.

Today, for lunch, I made penne with sage, garlic and mushroom in a light cream sauce and it was even more heavenly! If you like pasta that is not drowned in sauce and if you like mushrooms this is the thing for you.
This is what you need:

200 gms pasta (I used penne)
1 tsp oil
100 gms button mushrooms
1 couple of sprigs of sage (8-10 leaves)
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
salt to taste
2 tbsp cream

Cook the penne in seasoned, boiling water till al dente. In another pan, heat the oil and add garlic till it becomes slightly golden. Put in the sage and mushrooms and saute till the water from the mushrooms evaporates. Now add the cream and mix well on a low heat. By now, the pasta should be done - cut one piece into half to see whether it is well done; it should be neither raw nor squishy. Add the penne into the mushroom cream mixture. Mix well so that the pasta is well coated in the sauce, adjust the seasoning, add the chilli flakes and serve hot.

So, Mamagoto (of its Delhi fame) opened in Bombay sometime last month - or the month before - I forget. Anyhow, it became a rage amongst the blogger community, where every other food enthusiast was either tweeting or blogging about his/her experience there. Most of the reviews were really good and that intrigued me further. So, as soon as I got my salary, Ishaaq and I visted Mamagoto at Bandra for dinner this Sunday. Luckily, since we reached a little early, there was hardly any waiting - which is otherwise the norm in any Bombay restaurant on a weekend night. We were seated in royal-looking red chairs with armrests - the kinds you can simply sink into, and I took a moment to breathe in the ambience.

At first glance, the interiors of Mamagoto are colourful and vibrant; red seems to be the dominant shade here. The owners don't seem to have spent much on the decor in terms of materials (read: rugged walls and exposed HVAC pipes), but this simply adds to the charm. Instead, the walls are adorned with colourful, Chinese-like canvas paintings and spray painted cherry blossoms, which I absolutely fell in love with. White and red dolls hang on strings as partitions and add to the overall decor.

One of the canvas paintings right above our table.

The menu is divided into categories: appetisers, soups and salads, coal-fired robata grilled items, mamagoto signature dishes (or, as I called them, one-pot wonders), wok and curries, rice and noodles and dessert. After much discussion with the waiter at our table, we finally decided to go with a Salad: thai chicken and water chestnut salad with red chilli strips, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves and coconut; Appetiser: Spiced Asian barbecue chicken; Mains: Fried rice with egg and vegetables and lamb chilli in hoisin sauce.

The service was prompt and the food seemed fresh. The salad was flavourful with all the ingredients mentioned in the menu - I loved the taste of the lemon grass and kaffir lime - but it was oddly sweet. I mean, coconut doesn't make food sweet (I'm a South Indian; I know). So, while the crunch of the water chestnut was lovely with the lime-lemongrass flavour, after a point, the dish became cloyingly sweet for me, so much so that I had to use the chilli dipping sauce from the barbecue chicken that came in later.

Thai chicken with water chestnut salad

The asian spiced chicken barbecue hit our senses the moment it was placed on the table. It was presented to look like a whole fish, but the flavours were spot on. What was disappointing, however, was the chicken itself - both in the salad and the appetiser. It was chewy, thready and very tough - in other words, overcooked! However, we went ahead with the meal.

Asian spiced barbecue chicken

As we were finishing our starters, the lamb was brought to the table along with the fried rice. On taking one bite of the lamb, we instantly knew that the lamb too was tough. The waiter asked us about the food, and we commented on the nature of the meat and he promptly took away the lamb, promising a replacement. But then, the manager, Nitin, came along and asked us what the problem was. I told him that the meat in all three dishes was tough, and he actually responded saying that this is what the cuisine demands. I didn't really know how to respond to such a lame justification and let it pass. But, to me, that's utter rubbish. Even if a cuisine demands a well-done piece of meat, it is not meant to be tough and chewy - they need to get that right!

Lamb chilli in hoisin sauce

Fried rice with egg and vegetable

Nevertheless, the lamb came back - beautifully sliced and tender and the sauce was as flavourful as the rice. We polished off the meal with a dessert. Given the high praise that the banoffee pie had received in other reviews, we decided to order it and were not disappointed. It was heavy, but not cloyingly sweet (unlike the salad). It was a good finish to a decent meal.

Banoffee pie

Would I go back to Mamagoto? Well, I might, just to taste the vegetarian fare. If you want more reviews on the place check out Finely Chopped's review here, and Nonchalant Gourmand's here.

So, I finally baked bread yesterday. And, no, it was not a failed attempt.

I’ve been craving freshly baked bread ever since The Baker’s Dozen opened up earlier this year. Alas, their only outlet is located very very far away, and my desire to break warm, crusty, artisanal bread has been nothing but a dream. Why didn’t I just bake my own bread, you ask? Well, I am, rather was, quite scared of yeast - scared of going wrong with it (as I had once before). But, like they say, necessity is the mother of invention.

And, yesterday, enough was enough. I’d already collected a few recipes for breads and had come across this Whole-Wheat Rosemary Foccacia one on Archana’s Kitchen. Since the ingredients were all there, I simply had to follow the recipe. Thanks to the incessant, and bordering obsessive, Masterchef Australia viewing, I had got an idea of how to knead bread dough and went about preparing my warm, yeasty bread on a nice rainy evening.

Here’s how it looked:

And this is what you need (I halved the original recipe):

·         3 cups of whole-wheat flour or any multigrain flour
·         1 tsp salt
·         1/8^th cup honey
·         1 1/4^th tbsp active dry yeast
·         ¼ cup chopped rosemary
·         1/8^th cup olive oil or any other non-flavoured oil + some for coating and brushing
·         1.5 cups lukewarm water

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, yeast, rosemary and honey. Mix well till integrated. Gradually mix in the oil and the water till the dough comes together in a sticky ball.

Now, take the dough out of the bowl and on a large, lightly floured surface, knead it vigorously for atleast 10 minutes - placing the heel of palm in the middle, push the dough away from you. Fold it from both sides, turn it by 90 degrees and repeat. Keep doing this till the dough becomes soft and elastic.In a lightly oiled bowl, place the dough and cover with a lose lid. Keep this in a warm place to allow it to proof for atleast 2 hours; the dough should double in size.

Preheat the oven to 200 C. Now, when you ready to bake the bread, punch back the dough - it should sink like a deflated balloon – and place it on a bread tin lined with parchment paper that has been lightly floured. Place the dough on top and press with your fingers to fill the space evenly. Then just before popping into the oven, make shallow holes with your finger and lightly brush with oil. At this point, you could add stuff like garlic, onion rings or even sundried tomatoes and olives. Pop into the oven for 20 minutes or till the top is golden brown. Let it cool cut into pieces and serve plain with olive oil or with a dip of your choice.

Currently, I’m in the mood for a topping made using Life Ki Recipe’s onion marmalade topped with feta.

The first time I'd tasted Japanese food was at Seasonal Tastes in Westin Goregaon. At that time, I didn't really know what I was eating, but it sure tasted sumptuous. However, the sushi was part of a larger, more eclectic meal. The second time I tasted Japanese was a slightly modern version at Kofuku during the Taste of Mumbai Festival Taste Safari and that was fun! However, I had still not sampled anything beyond sushi, till I went with a friend on my one high-end-restaurant-per month-after-pay visit to Aoi in Bandra.

Aoi - pronounced aahwee - is run by the same management of Pot Pourri and Lemon Grass in Mumbai. Tucked away in a little corner at Bandra Reclamation, the place is cosy, dimly lit with lights above each table and offers a variety of Japanese food. The lit up origami cranes overhead particularly caught my eye and I instantly clicked a pic.

The waiter serving us was very helpful and his suggestions excellent. After mulling over the menu for a good 10 minutes, we decided to order one appetiser, a sushi dish, two main courses and a dessert. That was a lot of food, we realised at the end of the meal, since the portions are quite huge.

This is the menu of the restaurant. It opens from the right as books are read in Japan and the the last page also has a glossary of jargon related to Japanese food.

Katsu prawns with Japanese mayo and yuzu reduction

Our appetiser was katsu prawns with Japanese mayo and a yuzu reduction. Katsu means crumb-fried in Japanese. The prawns, uncharacteristically straight, were tender and were complimented beautifully by the mayo (with a hint of wasabi) and the yuzu (a Japanese citrus food much like an orange) reduction.

Of course, we couldn't not order sushi. On the waiter's recommendation, we went for the Uramaki or California-rolled sushi with spicy tuna and asparagus. Just as sushi is meant to be, the fish was fresh, the sushi perfectly rolled and the rice just as sticky and flavourful as it should be. We had this with my all-time favourite accompaniments - pickled ginger and wasabi.

Pickled ginger and wasabi

We moved on to the main course now and called for the Donburi and the Grill. The Donburi - or rice bowl with veggies - that we selected was a flavourful and wholesome meal comprising chargrilled prawns with white wine and oyster sauce in a rice bowl with stir-fried veggies and shredded carrot. The dish also had some boiled egg, which I personally didn't think was required. But overall the dish was delicious.

Donburi with chargrilled prawns and veggies

The last part of the main meal was the grilled chicken breast with a white miso and honey glaze and soy miso jus. This was accompanied by mashed potato fritters wrapped in seaweed and fried in panko - something I though was quite ingenious. The chicken was tender and well marinated, but the jus had a slight bitter taste that I just couldn't figure out. It probably was the miso, but I'm not sure. (Miso is fermented soybean paste). As a result, I preferred the donburi over this.

Despite being absolutely stuffed after eating all this delicious food, we couldn't resist ordering a dessert. I was quite intrigued by the wasabi cheesecake, but we were sure we wouldn't be able to eat all of it. So we went for the yuzu creme brulee, despite the waiter having suggested something else. And, this is where Aoi disappointed. The brulee part was perfect and the flavour of the yuzu was not too overpowering. However, the cream was too dense, clotted and wasn't light on the tongue as a perfect creme brulee ought to be.

Yuzu creme brulee

Despite the slight disappointment with the dessert, I would definitely visit Aoi again to try out their other dishes. Do visit Aoi and let me know how you liked it. I had fun!

Brace yourself; this is going to be a longish post....

It isn't everyday that you get to meet a celebrity chef and taste her food. It isn't everyday that you get, not just one, but two cookbooks signed by the chef herself at two different occasions.

I was recently invited by noted food blogger, consultant and owner of A Perfect Bite (APB) Cook Studio, Rushina M. Ghildiyal, for a 'Cook and Dine' with celebrated chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Ritu Dalmia, who was launching her new cookbook Diva Green at Mumbai. APB Cook Studio is Rushina's dream project where she conducts workshops and classes and organises parties and book launches like the one with Ritu Dalmia (you can check her website and class schedules here). It's not difficult to locate the studio once you enter the main building at Saki Vihar Road; you just need to follow where your nose takes you - what with the wonderful aromas wafting out of the kitchen at any time. How any member of the building works without having to visit APB Cook Studio at least once a day is beyond me!

Rushina and Ritu being interviewed by Food Food Channel
Pic courtesy: APB Cook Studio

Tables and aprons set for the event

When I arrived at the studio for the event, it was already filled with fellow food bloggers, the media and the diva of the evening - Ritu Dalmia. A feast of various cheeses and drinks were already laid out on a counter, and the place was abuzz with conversation. We witnessed chef and Food Food channel anchor Saransh Goila interview Ritu, while munching on some delicious potato pizza prepared by the chef herself (from her book, Diva Green).

Saransh Goila chatting up with Ritu

Before we knew it, it was time to settle down around the communal table and interact with Ritu ourselves. We were each given a cook book and a glass of delicious vichyssoise (the first time I had it) and were to make three dishes. The carrot cake, the spicy mushroom salad and the Saint's Day pasta. While we were to make the first two, we would get to observe Ritu making the pasta.

Cookbook love!

Ritu's vichysoisse

Once the carrot cakes were happily baking in the oven, we settled down to watch Ritu make her pasta. It was humbling to hear of her story behind the pasta; she spoke of her Italian friend who would make this pasta on Saint's Day and to who it was dedicated. This is where Ritu told us about the basic Italian tomato sauce - a simple sauce with extra virgin olive oil, freshly chopped tomatoes, one red chilli, bruised garlic and lots of fresh basil! You can use onions, carrots/leeks and red peppers to sweeten and thicken it.

Tossing up fragrant pasta

Handfuls of basil are an important element of Italian Tomato Sauce

Assembling the Saint's Day Pasta

Once the pasta had joined the cakes in the oven, we made our mushroom salads and then feasted on some delicious food. Along with the salads, cake and pasta (which was this warm dish whose flavours simply melted in the mouth) we also had a delicious chicken dish to go with all the vegetarian fare, some samples of RRO Cheese (I loved the stilton with cranberries), and noodles.

This is where I got to interact with some of the well-known bloggers in Mumbai. Senior-most, apart from Rushina, were Kalyan a.k.a The Knife from Finely Chopped (love his food walks and passion for Bandra); Saee from My Jhola (brilliant recipes and photos; you also must check out her fiction section); Harini from TongueTicklers (the only vegan person and blogger I know); and some of the more recent bloggers - Reema, the baking goddess from Bake You; Roxanne, the Tiny Taster :); Pratishtha from The Breakfast Projekt; Sameer - the founder and head of the Food Blogger's Association of India. We also had a few media persons like Monty (who was also my cooking partner for the day) from The Week and of course Food Food Channel. Ritu was also accompanied by her Editor Paulomi.

Those delicious carrot cakes with a dusting of icing sugar

A bird's eye view!

The spicy mushroom salad that Monty and I made!

Overall, the event was beautifully organised with lots of conversations about food and blogging. I love the book - its so rustic - what with photos that are styled quite unconventionally at Goa during a work vacation said Ritu. The recipes vary from cuisine to cuisine and country to country and are so versatile and at the same time simple to make with ingredients you can get locally. Each recipe has an introduction, much like a blog, in which Ritu speaks about her inspirations from that dish. I can't wait to cook some of those dishes!

That's our cooking station with the book open on the page of the mushroom salad!

Ill soon remake the carrot cake, which was so simple and absolutely delicious, and post it here. In the meanwhile, please go and buy the book!

And just in case you were wondering, the other event where I had won Ritu Dalmia's cookbook - Travelling Diva - was at Taste of Mumbai.

I leave you with a pic of me and Ritu :)

Ritu and me
Pic courtesy: APB Cook Studio

You know what sucks the most for a food lover? Falling so ill that the very sight, mention or even thought of food makes one nauseous. Anyway, having almost recovered from the viral fever that had recently taken over my life, the first task at hand was this post. So, last week, I was invited to review the ongoing Kashmiri Food Festival at the Trident, Bandra Kurla, Mumbai.

I've never been to the Trident at BKC before and was pleasantly surprised at its warmth and luxury. The Kashmiri Food Festival is being held at the hotel's signature Indian restaurant, Maya. To take a cuisine that is not very well-known and make it the very topic of conversation during a festival - the concept is brilliant. I felt this moreso when I met with Chef Rehman, Business Partner, Kitchenett-e-Awadh - one of the wazas behind the food at the festival. We know so little about our own Indian cuisines and more about Italian and Mediterranean cuisines! Did you ever hear about the Rampuri cuisine, or that the difference between a Hyderabadi and Kashmiri Sheermal is worlds apart or that Qubaani ka Meetha - a quintessential Hyderabadi speciality is found in a different form in Kashmir as Qubaani ka Halwa? Neither did I till I attended the festival.

Table set for four with lovely lotuses in cups and a miniature shikara in the centre

Maya is a warm space with lovely lattice screens, a pretty light and water display and for the fest was decorated with colourful miniature shikaras and lotuses on a plate. The place was quite packed despite it being a weekday evening. On being seated, we were served with a flavlourful and aromatic kahwa - a cinnamon and saffron infused drink that smells sweet and definitely a palate cleanser. The rest of the menu we selected on the basis of Chef Rehman's recommendations, while he regaled us with some facts about the essence of Kashimiri cuisine.

As the kahwa is poured out

We had a bit of quite a few things on the menu for each course in small portions to taste.

For the starters, we had the Nadur Kabab, Kukur Kanti, and the Tabak Maaz. In the main course, we were served Nadur Yakhni, Dum Aloo, Roganjosh and Gushtaba. Finally, for a sweet finish, we had the Zaffrani Rice Firni with the Qubaani ka Halwa.

Nadur Kabab

Chef Rehman specialises in vegetarian Mughlai and North-Indian cuisines. And this came through splendidly in the Nadur Kabab. A kabab made of lotus root, which is quite a crispy, fibrous and quintessentially Kashmiri vegetable. But, the care with which the kabab was made did nothing to reveal its core ingredient; I'd easily pass it off as being made of mutton - it was soft, crumbly, with no hint whatsoever of crunchiness.

Tabak Maaz

The Tabak Maaz took my breath away. Lamb racks succulent and just dropping off the bone. Chef Rehman explained that with Western influences, a lot of restaurants today pass off mutton as being lamb. However, lamb is the meat of sheep. It is commonly found in the Himalayas because of its sure footedness and of course thick wool.

Kukur Kanti

This was the Kukur Kanti, somewhat a dry version of the chicken kadhai. It tasted quite like something I'd find in South India, but was nonetheless delicious. My only issue was that the chicken was tough; tender pieces would have taken this dish to another level.

We then went on to the main course leaving Chef Rehman to regale us with his dishes.

Mutton Roganjosh

This was the best Roganjosh I've tasted. The meat falling off the bone, the mellow gravy subtly spiced and served with flaky, buttery, soft and slightly sweet sheermal.

Gushtaba with sheermal

The Gushtaba is a very popular, must-have Kashmiri dish. Lamb meatballs soaking in a yakhni gravy, mildly spiced and complexly flavoured. The yakhni is a traditional method of slow cooking lamb with a yoghurt gravy allowing the essence of the lamb to melt into the gravy giving it a distinct flavour. The same goes for the Nadur Yakhni. I loved the earthiness and fibrous texture of the lotus root; although it is something you have to develop a taste for.

Nadur Yakhni

The Dum Aloo was flavoursome too and complemented the rest of the meal beautifully. Together with the other dishes and the sheermal (thick, soft, saffron-flavoured bread) and baqurkhani (thick flat bread made using dry fruits and butter), the main course was an explosion of flavours.

Dum Aloo

All of these were complemented beautifully by the two chutneys. I must say they are to die for. One was a walnut and radish chutney (white with specs of brown), while the other one was made of beetroot - slightly sweet and sour - a vibrant red.

And, to finish off the meal, we had an absolutely beautiful zaffrani rice phirni, literally one that melts in the mouth, and a qubaani ka halwa made of fresh apricots all the way from Kashmir.

Dessert!

The take aways from this festival is everything. The lamb dishes, the yakhni dishes, the breads and even the desserts. But if you would ask me to go back for just one thing, it would be the Tabak Maas.

I leave you with a picture of the lovely colourful miniature shikaras at the entrance of Maya.

Today and tomorrow are the last two days of the Kashmiri Food Festival at The Trident BKC. Do visit it for the amazing food and let me know how you liked it.

Special thanks to Sacha D'souza; Spoorthy; Chef M. Rehman and Server Rakesh.

P.S. All images courtesy Ishaaq Petiwala Photography

It's been sometime since I posted a recipe on the blog. Despite the flood of invitations to review different restaurants and food festivals, and my very own ventures into exploring restaurants across Mumbai, I've been desperately missing cooking and posting something exciting.

Plus, this month's been so hectic, Ishaaq and I've found ourselves eating out more than in. So, yesterday, just as I was leaving work, I took a printout of this gorgeous recipe that I'd read on Kayotic Kitchen's blog. Its of a simple Chicken Stroganoff. You basically need basic kitchen ingredients for this recipe and can whip it up in a good half an hour. So, Sunday brunch was the lovely, mellow, creamy Chicken Stroganoff with Lettuce Cups (which will be the next post).
So, Stroganoff is basically a traditional Russian dish made with strips of beef and a sauce made of sour cream. While I didn't have any sour cream, I used some fresh cream and a little lime juice (not together, of course).

Here's how the Stroganoff looked (yes, the photographer was in the house):

This is what you need:

1/2 kg boneless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cup chicken stock (or the same amount of water boiled with three stock cubes)
2 tbsp butter
1 large onion
1 medium green capsicum
150 gm mushrooms
4 garlic cloves
3/4 tsp sweet paprika (I used chilli powder since I didn't have paprika)
2 tbsp maida/all purpose flour
1/2 tsp mustard powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup sour cream (or the same amount of Amul fresh cream and juice of half a lime)

Cut the chicken into strips. Chop up the onion and capsicum, and wash and slice the mushrooms. Mince the garlic. Heat a wok and add one tablespoon of butter. Add the chicken and cook till tender; dont allow it to go brown.

Take this out and keep separate. Add the second tablespoon of butter and add the onion and capsicum till they start browning. Then add the mushroom and stir till it goes soft. Finally, add the garlic and stir well. Put in the paprika/chilli powder. Now, mix together the flour and mustard powder and add it to the cooking mixture. Stir well to get out all the rawness of the flour. Then, add the chicken stock and stir well, add the chicken, and bring it to a boil.

Once that's done, bring the gas down to a simmer and add salt and pepper to taste (make sure you taste it before you add the salt, because the broth might have enough.). Add the lime juice (if you aren't using the sour cream) and leave the dish to simmer for a few minutes. Now add the fresh cream and mix well and vigorously. Continue this till the cream is blended in beautifully. In case the sauce gets too thick, don't add more stock, mix in some milk; it retains the flavour and doesn't dilute the dish too much.

Let the dish simmer till the flavours come together. Garnish with some parsley and serve hot with some rice (I made some basil and chilli rice).

So, I made Chicken Stroganoff this Sunday for brunch. It was beautiful and creamy. I wanted to cut through the creaminess of the dish. And what's better than a salad. But, I wanted something more sophisticated. So, I though of something rustic and fresh - lettuce cups with chicken sausages and mushrooms.

This is a nice party starter and you can change the stuffing as you like. Something like cottage cheese (paneer) and pomegranate, or even the usual salsa works beautifully. You can even blanch the lettuce, stuff it and roll it up and fasten it with a toothpick for easier eating.

The dish is zingy, fresh and absolutely delicious.

This is what you need:

6-8 lettuce leaves (washed in ice water and patted dry)
2 tbsp oil
4 chicken sausages
2 tbsp ketchup (I didn't use this in my recipe, but I've done it before and it works beautifully)
4-5 button mushrooms
1 small onion
1 small carrot
1 tbsp chilli flakes
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt to taste
1 tbsp garlic vinaigrette* (I used Life Ki Recipe's readymade one)

Chop the mushrooms, carrot, onions and sausages. In a saucepan, add 1 tbsp oil and saute the veggies till they are just done; they shouldn't be too soft. Take them out and put in a bowl. Now, in the same saucepan, put in the rest of the oil and fry off the sausages. Put in the ketchup and mix well till the sausages caramelise with the ketchup.

Now, add the Worcestershire sauce and mix again. Add this to the veggies, along with the chilli flakes, and combine well. Now, put in the vinaigrette and mix again. Fill this into the lettuce cups and serve.

*Note: You can make your own vinaigrette using 2 medium garlic cloves minced. Take 2 tbsp oil and six tbsp lemon juice or vinegar. Add a little salt and sugar and mix well and store for at least an hour before using, so that the garlic is cured and infuses well.)

I just love baking birthday cakes! The amount of love and work that goes into making something for someone who is celebrating a special day is unparalleled. It was my office friend Rashmi’s birthday last week; so, I decided to bake one for her.

I have a tried and trusted chocolate cake recipe by Rachel Allen that I’d posted here earlier. But, I wanted to try something new. So, after sifting through the loads of recipes that I've saved in a folder on my email, I came across a recipe for Devil’s Food Cake by Dorie Greenspan. And, instantly I knew this is what I was going to bake.

The recipe is quite simple and direct. The batter undergoes such beautiful transformations as you keep adding the ingredients in – sometimes it looks curdled, sometimes its dry and towards the end, the batter is almost liquid gold! And, then when it rises in the oven and comes out all warm, it is as soft as pillow!

I usually don’t prefer frosting on cakes, but since it was a birthday, I used regular, good ol’ Nutella to spread across the surface of the cake – and if I may say so myself, it was yummy.

I wasn’t going to post this up because my picture was just one taken through my phone, but on popular demand, here it is!

This is what you need: (From Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan)

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
10 tbsp butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar (i used 1/2 + 1/3 cup regular sugar)
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
60 gm bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1/2 cup buttermilk or whole milk, at room temperature
1/2 cup boiling water
120 gm semisweet, finely chopped chocolate chips or 2/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 180 C and prepare the baking tins. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a bowl, whip the butter until soft and creamy. Add the sugar(s) and continue to beat for another three minutes. Add the eggs one by one, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. At this point, the mixture may look curdled, but that's okay. Now slowly mix in the melted chocolate.

When it is fully incorporated, add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, in 3:2 proportions (begin and end with the dry ingredients); mix only until the ingredients disappear into the batter. At this point, the batter will be thick, like frosting. Now, slowly mix in the boiling water, which will thin the batter considerably - almost like dosa batter. Finally, stir in the chopped chocolate.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. When fully baked, the cakes will be springy to touch and a thin knife inserted into the centers will come out clean. Cool for sometime, before unmoulding and if you are frosting it, ensure it is completely cool. I used pure Nutella; try and whip it for a smoother consistency.

Birthdays, birthdays, birthdays! Suddenly several close family members and friends are having their birthdays this time of the year, and I'm loving the opportunity to bake them birthday cakes. Today was my boss' birthday and after the Devil's Food Cake I'd baked for my friend Rashmi's birthday, this one had to be different.

The first time I tried Red Velvet Cake was during Valentine's Day early this year. I tried it simply out of curiosity. I didn't even know how it would taste or even turn out. Anyway, it was also my brother-in-law's birthday a few days ago and my sister-in-law, Fatema decided to bake him his favourite cake - Red Velvet! While directing her, I realised I could bake the same cake for my boss for the next day! So after the FBAI event yesterday (more details on that later!), I came home and indulged in some amazing midnight baking. The cake was frosted just before it was cut and the result was delicious.

Red Velvet cake is simply a delicious, velvety, moist and really soft cake that is a brilliant shade of red. It beautifully pairs with cream cheese frosting and is a delight to eat.

The recipe for the cake I baked yesterday is almost the same as the one in the Red Velvet Cupcakes post; I tweaked a few things. So, after some popular demand, I decided to post the recipe here once again.

Here goes!

This is what you need:

4 tbsp soft butter (preferably unsalted; if you're using regular Amul butter, skip the extra salt in the recipe)
3/4 cup sugar (I reduced this to 1/2 cup since I have sweetened cocoa powder)
1 egg
1.5 tbsp cocoa powder
1.5 tbsp red food colouring (I used Foster Clarks')
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup well beaten yoghurt
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Sift together the flour and baking soda. In a big bowl, cream the butter and sugar till light and fluffy and then slowly add the egg and beat everything well. In another bowl, combine the cocoa powder, red food colouring, vanilla extract into a dark, thick paste. Add this to the butter-sugar-egg mixture and mix well to combine. Now, on slow speed, alternatively add the yoghurt and flour+baking soda starting and ending with the flour (this ensures that cakes with a higher proportion of dry ingredients still remain moist). Once all of this is incorporated into the batter (which will be a little thick) spoon it out into a prepared baking tin and bake for about 30-40 minutes till a toothpick comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before frosting it.

Cream cheese frosting

120 g icing sugar
3 tbsp soft butter
100 g cream cheese

You can adjust the sugar depending on how sweet or not-sweet you'd like it to be. I personally prefer some sourness of the cream cheese, so I just go with a little sugar at a time and taste! In a bowl, beat the sugar and butter together till it is well combined and then add the cream cheese all at once and beat well till the frosting is light and fluffy. Do not over mix or the cream cheese can split. Put this into a piping bag (if you have one; I don’t so I used a spoon) and frost the cooled down cake.

For the pretty ruby red sugar crystals, just mix 4-5 tabsp of large granulated sugar with around a teaspoon of red food colouring and freeze for some time. Then, sprinkle on top of the frosted cake for some bling!

In case there's some time till you serve the food, store it in the fridge. Take it out ten minutes before serving and cut into wedges and serve!

I love curries. The more I've been cooking, the more I've been wanting to explore the various curries of the world - be it our very own Indian gravies with meat/vegetables or the South-East Asian ones like Burmese Khowsuey, Malaysian Laksa, or even Thai Curry. The first time I tasted Thai curry was at 5 Spice - a local Chinese restaurant in Mumbai quite a few years ago. It comes in the form of a fragrant pot rice with Thai Red Curry topped with loads of vegetables and the meat of your choice.

Soon I became obsessed with replicating this curry and tried various permutations. I even went to the extent of making my own coconut milk (it isn't really difficult; its simply time consuming but gives the best results). After trying that out a few times, I shifted to using coconut milk from a carton; you are free to use whichever kind you like.

Like South-Indian food, South-East Asian curries use a lot of coconut/coconut milk, spices and aromatics - some of them peculiar to the country. In the case of Thai Curry (red, green or yellow) galangal, kaffir lime, fresh lemon grass and Thai bird's eye chilli are staples. However, it isn't easy to source these in Mumbai - unless you like frequenting gourmet stores. Well, I don't; I try to use local ingredients, easy to source and use and definitely reasonable on the pocket. So here's my recipe for Thai Red Curry with Steamed Rice using fresh and local ingredients.

A glimpse:

This is what you need:

For the red curry paste:

5-6 dried red chillies
1 medium onion
1 medium garlic clove
1.5 inch ginger
3-4 stalks of lemon grass
A handful coriander leaves stalks
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
Zest of one lime
Juice of half a lime
1 cup hot water

Infuse the chillies and lemongrass in hot water for 15 minutes. In the meanwhile roast together the cumin and coriander seeds and star anise. Grind the spices with the chilli (if you are using the leaves of lemongrass, take them out before grinding; they have too much fibre and won't get digested) along with the rest of the ingredients mentioned above, except the lime juice. Once they're ground to a fine paste, keep aside in a bowl and add the lime juice.

The vegetables:

1 bell pepper
200 g mushrooms washed and cut into fairly large pieces
4-5 florets of broccoli
1 zucchini chopped into cubes
4-5 babycorns
2-3 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Saute the vegetables in the oil on a high flame till they are just cooked - I like them crunchy and not too soft. Add the salt once they're off the gas. Remember, they still have to go into the curry while its cooking.

For the curry:

2-3 tbsp oil
1/2 a star anise
Red curry paste
600 ml coconut milk
1 cup milk (at room temperature)
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp sugar/grated jaggery

In a wok, heat the oil and add the star anise. Now, add the red curry paste. Cook till the rawness of the paste is reduced and the paste releases an aroma. To this, gradually add the coconut milk and mix well. Put in the milk (this depends on the kind of consistency you'd like; I prefer mine slightly thin). And stir this well. Once the curry is simmering, add the vegetables, with some salt (adjust it according to the salt used in the sauteed vegetables) and the sugar/jaggery to taste (this balances out the flavour). Cook the curry for another 10 minutes and serve hot with steamed rice. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Note:For the steamed rice, I like to use the water in which the chillies and lemongrass have been infused - it complements the flavour of the curry.

Also, in case you want to use meat or seafood, simply saute it in some red curry paste till half done and finish it off in the curry.

As a child, for me, festivals were all about our family being together. Unlike Ganesh Chaturti, which was a quite, sober yet warm affair, Diwali had all the brightness and warmth and flavour it should. We would clean the house from top to bottom, diyas were lit outside the door and in all the balconies (one of my favourite things to do), and the kitchen would be filled with smells of the most amazing besan laddoos, cornflakes chivda and even dahi vada that Amma would lovingly cook for all of us and any other visitor!

Over the years, as we moved out of the nest and started working, Diwali remains a special occasion when family is always the priority albeit without my dad and the delicious food Amma would make.

While besan laddoos, barfis, dahi vada and chivda still rule the roost during Diwali, theres a gradual but steady stream of artisan, homemade sweets and snacks that are presenting a different take on the humble Diwali fare.

Here, I list three of Mumbai's well noted bloggers-turned artisan cooks and what I find most intriguing about their offerings for the festival of lights.

THE BAWI BRIDE

The Bawi Bride aka Perzen Patel Darukhanawalla aka parsi food goddess came on the scene a few months ago with some delectable parsi offerings for the entire foodie community. Her name is now synonymous with her chocolate mousse and lagan-nu-custard. Im personally drooling about her latest creation - Lagan-nu-custard icecream!! And as Im writing this, she's busy baking some Kopra Pak Mawa Cupcakes! OMG!!

Coming back to the point, for Diwali, Perzen has some amazing offerings like:

Mithu Monu, which includes 2 x Lagan nu Custard, 2 x Kopra Pak of 250 gm each and a dozen prunes, dates, cashewnuts and cranberry dry fruit pops (Rs. 850/-)

Lagan-Nu-Custard pots

Kopra Pak

Bawa Bhonu, which includes Beetroot Relish and Ricotta Cheese (200 g), Half a Dozen Grandpa's Kheema Kebabs, Kheema and Prawn Pulao and Lagan nu Custard

Dryfruit pops

Grandpa's kheema kebabs

CONTACT: Perzen Patel at (0) 98192 85720 | www.facebook.com/BawiBride

Maybe you'll also get some of that icecream!

Pic courtesy: Bawi Bride

i2COOK

Megha Deokule is the brain behind i2cook a blog and online store for organic products like jams, papads, cereals, flours, cookies. These are some of her star offerings for Diwali.

Soft and chewy, gluten-free Peanut Butter Cookies in a jar, made using i2cook’s peanut butter and sprinkled with some sea salt. The cookies contain free-range egg and organic ingredients. The cookies stay fresh in the jar for three weeks.

One jar contains 5 big cookies (approx 305 g) for Rs. 500/- (free home delivery) + Rs. 50/- to Thane and Navi Mumbai

The Say Cheese gift basket is an amazing organic cheese basket with two types of cheese (100 g each), Turkish apricots (100 g ), Himalayan honey (200 g), gluten free crackers (50 g) and i2cook's very own honey mustard. The basket is available for Rs. 1550/-

Finally, i2cook's Seed balls in a jar include highly - laddoos if I may - made of nutritious, organic ingredients like rolled oats, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds, amaranth and raw sugar. One jar contains 6 balls that can last for 3 months. One jar is available at Rs. 350/-

CONTACT: You can buy the gifting options online at www.i2cook.com.

Pic courtesy: i2cook

KNEAD WITH LOVE

Engineer turned blogger turned caterer, Richa Lulla owns the blog Knead with Love. After completing a course in baking, she started her own bakery items catering business where she delivers amazing little treats like peanut butter minis, peanut butter cupcakes, hazelnut kisses, cheesecake square, cookies and tarts. Her Rakhi collection won rave reviews, and now she's back with her Diwali collection.

Apart from a variety of lovely festive gifting trays and boxes filled with nuts and dryfruits or assorted chocolates for Diwali, Knead with Love also offers the following:

A Sandook shaped box with 2 Sev Barfi in a jar (Rs. 450) or a gold and white cardboard box filled with two Sev Barfi in a jar (Rs. 420/-)

A box of 18 treats with 6 coconut dark chocolates, 6 almond caramel squares and 6 chocolate caramel squares + handmade ‘Shubh Labh’ gift set (Rs.595/-)

A box of 12 treats with 4 coconut dark chocolates, 4 almond caramel squares & 4 chocolate caramel squares + 5 floating flowers & a tea light gift set (Rs.435/-)

A tiered gift set with a box of 6 treats (2 coconut dark chocolates, 2 almond caramel squares & 2 chocolate caramel squares) + a box of 12 assorted chocolates (mint, dark, milk & praline) + a set of 2 floating LED lit diyas wrapped up in a pretty bow! (Rs.750/-)

A box of 12 eggless cookies (6 choco chunk & 6 double chocolate) + 1 kundan studded diya gift wrapped in gold net (Rs.560/-)

Two jars of Sev Barfi/Kesar pista panna cotta in a jar wrapped up all pretty! (Rs. 300/-)

A three-tiered hamper with Sev Barfi in a jar (150 g) + Kesar Pista panna cotta in a jar (150 g) + Diya + Garlic Herb crispies (120 g) + Jalapeno/lemon hummus packed in a pretty wooden golden tray (150 g) all at just Rs.1200/-

You can also contact them for some amazing munchies and snacks for Diwali parties, including Taash themed cupcakes, dark and white chocolate mousse, garlic crispies or lavash with hummus, some of which are available in eggless options.

Some more details:

*Knead With Love delivers on the Western line for free. Other areas can be discussed when the order is placed

*Online transfer/cash on delivery options available

*Bulk orders get special discounts; they must be placed 3-4 days in advance

*They also take corporate orders

CONTACT: Richa Lulla at (0)98334 80814/(0)80802 36611 | www.kneadwithlove.wordpress.com/shop

Pic courtesy: Knead with Love

So, while you'll are drooling over these delicious Diwali offerings, I'm off to Hubli to be with family over the Diwali weekend! Do order these amazing things, and let me know how they were!

Happy Diwali and eating!

I'm bursting with excitement! Have some great news to tell you guys; things are still in process, so can't reveal anything, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. While you mull over what I'm planning, I'm distracting you with a review of a delicious meal that I recently had at JW Marriot Mumbai's Mezzogiorno Festival with Chef Davide Cananzi's delicious, home-style, Southern Italian feast.

Late last month, I was invited for an exclusive Chef's Table with Chef Davide Cananzi, for the Mezzogiorno festival at JW Marriot's Italian sit-down restaurant, Mezzo Mezzo. Eager to be there on time, I found myself to be the first person there! But, soon, a steady stream of bloggers came in, and I got to meet some amazing people. Samina from The Cupcake Confession, Pooja from Photokatha, Joel D'souza from Crumbs to Gourmet catering (I'm yet to get some Mexican recipes from him) and many others! Of course, there was also Devika (a delightful girl so full of amazing food knowledge and skills) from The Food & Fashion Blog (who we shared a table with and had a great conversation with on learning the culinary arts) and the duo from Story Soviets.

Getting back to the evening, the menu comprised a wide range of Antipasti (a feast was spread out across the island counter) and a another lot of main courses! It was interesting and humbling to meet Chef Davide Cananzi - a delightful man, who, with such humility, interacted with all the thirty-odd bloggers, while serving up some great food. Earlier that evening, I had also observed him personally double-checking all the condiments on the antipasti table!

Cold cuts, olives and capers

So, the food! The food was a revelation; you may not know it, but Southern Italian food is so different from Northern Italian food. The former is more Mediterranean, uses more of tomatoes, olive oil (as vs. butter in the north), is more home-style cooking, and very very communal; this is also where Pizza finds its origin.

Assortment of breads - standing proud

So, the antipasti table was a spread of cold cuts (all pork), stuffed olives (I popped a whole lot of these into my mouth), breads (a little tough, I must admit), cheese and various condiments that truly did the cheese justice, candied and pickled fruit and salads. The salads included Insalata di Grano con Olive e capperi (Bean sprout, olives and caper salad) and a rather delicious Pesce in scapece (Sea bass and calamari salad with wine saffron dressing).

Candied fruit

Assortment of cheese and condiments

What excited me the most was the Baked stuffed mussels (Cozze Gratinate al forno). This was the first time I had mussels and they were delicious; wish I'd had more. We also had a classic pizza verdure and the four seasons pizza, which was a delicious combination of different toppings on one pizza - black olives, yummy mushrooms, proscuito, and artichokes (a vegetable, I'm slowly falling in love with).

Baked stuffed mussels

Pizza Verdure

Four Seasons Pizza

We then sat down to a formal dinner, where Chef Davide personally addressed us and told us a bit about the homestyle food we were going to be served. Contrary to practice, he had decided to serve us the food right out of the pot that it was cooked in! Could it be more family-like?

Pasta al forno

The menu on the main course started with Pasticcio di pasta al forno (Baked rigatoni pasta with assorted vegetables, mozzarella and tomato). I absolutely loved the colour of the gratinated cheese and the flavour; the salt was a little lacking for me, but the dish was otherwise perfect. We had two risottos - Risotto alla Pescatora (a spicy Sicilian style seafood risotto) and a porcini mushroom risotto. I preferred the mushroom one - the porcini mushrooms blended in beautifully with the starchy risotto rice. The chicken dish called Scaloppina Gi Pollo (scallops with chicken) was chicken breasts doused in a lovely, mellow, lemony sauce). By the time we had reached our carb limit, we were regaled with two lovely desserts (no tiramisu, sadly) that we couldn't resist.

Seafood risotto

Chicken and scallops

Mushroom risotto

The desserts were a lovely Cassata with the softest sponge ever. The other one, which I preferred was a delicious Jam tart that had the perfect combination of sweetness and texture leaving a wonderful medley of flavours in the mouth.

Jam tart

Mezzogiorno was a beautiful experience - the food, the chef, the warmth of Mezzo Mezzo and the chatter of the thirty odd bloggers shone through it all!

P.S.: You can still relish Chef Davide's amazing food at his week long birthday celebrations at Mezzo Mezzo. Rush now!

It's been some time since I logged on to my blog. And, then when I did, it was a rather pleasant surprise to see a little more than 20,000 hits! Thank you everyone who visited and commented on the blog posts. Its been more than one and a half years since I started the blog, and it has grown so much!

I know I've been missing in action, but there's been so much going on. But, now I'm back. Over the past month, I've attended a lot of wonderful events - a day's worth of food knowledge at APB Cook Studio on Mediterranean cuisine, a Thai food festival at JW Marriott, a wonderfully interactive Pizza-Off at Serafina, a small dinner at Pop Tate's new branch at Lokhandwala, and a delicious introduction to a more authentic version of Chinese food that I have had in a long time at Sun-n-Sand Hotel's Juhu's newest kid on the block - Haochi.

While I haven't had that much time to post about the rest, this post here is about Haochi and the meal I was invited to review last week. My friend Alisha and I visited the restaurant on its 5th day of opening and by the time we were done, the place was buzzing with people! We arrived quite early and very hungry and left rather late with our bellies full.

So, Haochi has replaced the ever famous Sunset Room that was part of Sun-n-Sand's legacy since the past 50 years. This year, their 50th year, it was time to bring in a new legacy, and at the insistence of Senior Vice President Gulshan Arora, Haochi came into being. After all, as he claims, the Indian palate is more accustomed to Chinese and Indian food. After bringing in a specialty Chinese Chef and Dim sum chef from China, the restaurant opened on 2nd December, 2013.

The space is dimly lit and has an intimate ambience. It is decorated with minimalism and straight lines and the muted browns and wooden tones add to the warmth. As you enter, you are privy to a lot of activity at the kitchen which is separated from the seating area by a glass. Pretty interactive, I must say! So, we were greeted and seated by a bevy of waiters and the Executivbe Assistant Manager Satish Fernandes, who were all very attentive throughout the meal. We started off with a drink - an iced chamomile tea with apple - it was delicious and certainly refreshing. While I had the virgin version, Alisha had hers with some vodka.

Chamomile Tea with Apples

What is tea - even if it is iced - without some dimsums? So, we went on to taste some of the dimsums at the restaurant. Two kinds were brought to our table - Broccoli and Waterchestnut and the Chicken and Shrimp Sui Mai. We first tasted a portion of the Sui Mai. I found the skin a little doughy, but the combination of chicken and shrimp were wonderful. However, what took me by surprise was the Broccoli and Waterchestnut. I love these two vegetables as they are, but their combination in the dumpling was a marriage made in heaven. Whether it is the taste or the texture, this dish definitely scores a 10/10!

Chicken and Shrimp Sui Mai

Broccoli and Water Chestnuts Dimsum

Then came the appetisers. We had Crispy Tianjin Prawn Rolls, Haochi Lotus Root, Chilli Eggplant, and Shredded Chicken with Spicy Salt. Of these, the Rolls and the Haochi Lotus Root topped my chart. The rolls are made of spring roll wrappers encasing prawns with julienned carrot and scallions and deep fried. The freshness (and crunch) of the prawns and veggies came through, despite the cooking method, which in my books, scores.

Tianjin Prawn Rolls

The Haochi Lotus Root was another star. The spicy lotus root (which I was informed is imported from Thailand) was marinated in a special chilli blend. It's texture, crunch and spice quotient balanced each other perfectly. For me, the chilli eggplant was a tad bit too sweet, while the shredded chicken with spicy salt, although quite lip smackingly chatpata, lost out. The chicken was just too dry and the coating overpowered its texture. Nonetheless, makes for some good beer snacks!

Haochi Lotus Root

Chilli Eggplant

Shredded Chicken with Spicy Salt

We were then served the soups - Chicken Won Ton and Haochi Special - which were quite mild in taste after a fiery course of appetisers. But both were warm, and polished of quite quickly. (No pics here, since it was too dark to get a shot of the soups!)

Vegetable Chow Mein

Red Snapper in Black Bean Sauce

We finally went on to the main course. The main course comprised Vegetarian Garlic Butter Rice, Chow Mein, Shredded Tenderloin in a Black Pepper Sauce, Shredded Lamb in a Black Pepper Sauce, Ginger Spring Onion Chicken, Red Snapper in Black Bean Sauce, and Five Treasure Vegetables. I loved the rice and the chowmein. The former could have done with a bit more garlic (but, that's a personal preference) and the freshness of the vegetables, the crunch and the al dente 'ness' of the noodles were beautifully paired.

Lamb in Black Pepper Sauce

Tenderloin in Black Pepper Sauce

Amongst the mains, while I wasn't very impressed with the fish dish, the rest more than made up for it. The Ginger Spring Onion Chicken stood out but required a bit more ginger, while my friend loved the Shredded Tenderloin - she found it beautifully cooked and had a combination of flavours she'd never tasted before. My lamb too was prepared in a similar sauce (at my request, since I wanted something sticky to go with my rice). It was a little on the sweeter, slightly peanutty side but after two bites, it grew on me. The texture (yes, texture and crunch score in Haochi's dishes) of the Five Treasure veggies was spot on, and the gravy was quite mild.

Five Treasure Vegetables

Ginger Spring Onion Chicken

We also had some lovely White Teas - the Jasmine Pearl and Chinese Flower. Both were distinct in taste and beautifully flavoured! They also served as palate cleansers before we started the main course.

We were pretty stuffed by the time we were done with main course (I actually got it packed!). Finally, came the dessert. And no foodie can walk out of a restaurant without dessert. We were served the Almond Yoghurt with Exotic Fruits, Mandarin Creme Brulee and the Chocolate Lava Cake.

Mandarin Creme Brulee

The Mandarin Creme Brulee was quite disappointing. I love creme brulee, but the bruleed caramel should be spot on and the custard, light. This particular one at Haochi had none of that. The smattering of bruleed sugar was quite a turn off.

Almond Yoghurt with Exotic Fruits

However, Alisha and I happily polished off the Almond Yoghurt. Accompanied by some dragon fruit, exotic lychees, and slivers of plums, the combination and texture of the ground almind wth the not-so-swweet yoghurt was perfect! And finally, bringing an end to the crescendo of sweets was the warm, crunchy-on-the-top Chocolate Lava Cake, hitting all the right spots! Warm, gooey, chocolatey, it was the perfect end to our meal!

Chocolate Lava Cake

Overall, Haochi has a lovely menu. The service was perfect as was the food. And, the prices are so reasonable. I would definitely visit the place again. Those Broccoli and Water Chestnut Dimsums and Tianjin Prawn Rolls refuse to get out of my head!

Do let me know how your visit turns out!

It’s the New Year! Yes, I know we’re well into the year, and this is just my first post! Believe me, the intentions were there, even the inclination, but too many things were happening at the same time. Anyway, I’m back – with the proverbial bang (more on that later).

So, the end of last year was quite a foodie one. I skipped quite a few events (some were just so tempting, but I was out of town). I did, however, attend a beautiful pre-Christmas dinner at Le Pain Quotidien. Now, you know about LPQ. If you are not from Mumbai and haven’t been there, you should have read it here! One of the main attractions at LPQ for me is the décor. Warm wooden hues, huge windows and plenty of natural light mark this space in every location around the city! This, notwithstanding the outstanding food – simple flavours, fresh ingredients, and delicious, of course!

So, we celebrated Christmas in style last year at LPQ. The meal was had to celebrate the launch of the restaurant at Powai! (so much closer to my place!). So off went Ishaaq and I to have a nice meal amongst some great company! And what a meal it was!

The famed community table was decorated with Christmas lights and decorations. And we each had a copy of the special menu was curated for the evening. A starter, a main and an assortment of desserts – each category had its own star.

We started the meal by breaking some warm bread. Then came the starters - which were an assortment of tartines that we had to choose from. We ordered the Smoked Chicken with Cheddar Cheese and Jalapeno Tartine and the Smoked Spinach and Corn with Jalapeno and Caramelised Onions. Both the dishes were really good, although my personal favourite (with the soft spot for smoked meat) was the chicken.

This was followed by a fresh Arugula and Bean Salad with Balsamic Figs and Strawberry. The salad had the right amount of bitterness balanced by the sweetness of the figs and the macerated strawberries. I only wish my serving had had a few more of these fruits.

With the salad happily devoured, we were served the Strawberry Sorbet – a lovely palate cleanser - before the next course. The sorbet was served 'Heston Blumenthal' style in a bowl resting on a dish of dry ice that set off some very intriguing fumes. The sorbet itself was refreshing and perfectly sorbeted (if that be a term) and lent itself beautifully to the palate.

We finally came to the main course. Ishaaq called for the Slow Roasted Lamb Stew with Ricotta Cheese Dumpling and Roasted Carrots. I called for the Slow Cooked Leg of Chicken with a White Bean Cassoulet. The lamb stew was outstanding. Served in a lovely bread 'pot', it was warm, flavourful and really delicious. The entire table went gaga.

The slow cooked leg of chicken was another story altogether. While the process of slow cooking a chicken was quite a novelty for me (and tasting it too) and the texture of the meat was pillowy, the dish overall was rather tasteless – less salt, not much flavour and altogether not very impressive.

We also tasted the Chicken Scallopini with Buttered Spaghetti and Lemon Sauce. The dish was lovely - perfectly al dente spaghetti and a light, creamy sauce hit the right spots! The Grilled Basa with Indian spices too was quite nice – the fish was cooked right and beautifully crispy. However, instead of couscous, it came with mashed potatoes that sort of tasted like potato bhaji (an Indian side dish of spiced potatoes) - quite a put off!

Finally, the dessert platter was served. We were all looking down on an assortment – brownie with hot chocolate sauce, icecream on a chocolate chip cookie, a piece of Christmas cake and a lemon tart with blueberries. The cake was a bit too dry and unpalatable and the tart with blueberries was nothing to rave about. However, I did gorge on the brownie, which stood out with its fudginess and warmth, as did the icecream and cookie.

Overall, the meal was very delightful. Having been to LPQ at least three times, their quality never fails. And, I can't wait to visit it soon again. On my list are the lamb stew, smoked chicken tartine and the Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli with Thyme Butter that I’d had during a previous visit!

Do visit the Powai restaurant and let me know how you liked the food. I leave you with this beautiful image of a cosy reading corner in the restaurant.

Photo: Le Pain Quotidien

PS. LPQ also opened a kiosk for the occupants of the Indiabulls Finance Centre in Elphinstone. Its a takeaway point for all those on the go! Check it out sometime.

I was born and brought up as a Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin. Sounds quite heavy duty, no? Otherwise called Bhanap, this small community is mainly concentrated in Karnataka and can trace its origins to Kashmir. Our cuisine, however, is anything but like that from Kashmir. Mainly vegetarian, the food is simple, easy to prepare and delicious. When I was little, ‘amchi’ food – as it is called colloquially – would be prepared by my mother regularly, sometimes interspersed with other dishes.

Contrary to common thought, 'amchi' food is different from its Mangalorean and Goan cousins. Predominantly vegetarian, the cuisine covers a large variety of vegetables and at least five different ways in which each can be prepared. The Rasachandrika – the Bible for all Amchi women – covers each and every recipe from the Bhanap cuisine.

When Perzen of BawiBride asked me to contribute to the making of her e-book, Best Kept Secrets, I jumped at the opportunity. The question was which dish should I choose? There are so many – the quintessential Dali Thoy (a simple preparation of Tuvar dal with a curry leaf and red chilli tempering) or Tambli-Bendi(a combination of a coconut curry that is served with rice combined with a tamarind and red chilli curry with white beans) or even the Kayras (a coconut preparation using beans, capsicum, carrots and peanuts). Each has its own uniqueness, its own flavours.

Then, I asked my husband, who is a non-amchi, and he agreed that Batata Saung(yes, it is pronounced ‘song’) was definitely something different and really easy to make. Saung is a simple potato preparation made using onions, boiled potatoes, chilli powder and tamarind. The original recipe calls for whole dried fiery byadgi red chillies that are ground along with the tamarind. But, I follow the recipe like my mum would make it.

This is what you need:

1 tbsp oil
½ tsp jeera
2 medium onions (peeled and cubed)
1 ½ tsp chilli powder
4 medium potatoes (boiled, peeled and cubed)
½ cup water
1 small ball of tamarind (the size of a supari)
Salt to taste

In a kadhai, heat the oil and add the jeera till it splutters. Immediately add the chopped onions and sauté till they start turning golden. Add the chilli powder and continue to sauté on a medium flame. In the meanwhile, pour the water in a small vessel and add the tamarind. Keep this on the boil till the tamarind disintegrates.

Now, add the cubed potatoes to the onion-chilli powder mixture and stir with a light hand till the potatoes are coated all over. Finally, add the tamarind water and some of the (maybe ¼ tsp) tamarind pulp, pressing it through a sieve. Add salt to taste, cover and let the dish simmer. The consistency of the gravy should be thick. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with some steaming rice and dal.

PS.: The post with the most number of votes will be part of the e-book! So please vote!

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