‘I have 4,500 food books and I love reading them’ | ||
TV chef Nigella Lawson tells Nivriti Butalia how her love for food is intertwined with her love for words | ||
Hangovers, for the majority of us with limited kitchen skills, are cured best with fried eggs, hot buttered toast, and other greasy whatever-we-can-get-our-hands-on food. Such plebian measures, however are not for Nigella Lawson. The celeb chef, and author of How to Eat, cures hangovers with a Cuban chorizo (a spicy pork sausage) and black bean soup. In an email interview with The Mag, Lawson shares with us her attitude to food. Excerpts from the interview: Your cookbooks are gorgeous. Your TV shows have legions of fans. But your recipes, in your own words, are ‘not particularly healthy’. What role do diet and exercise play in your life? I’m a great believer in real food, which is to say that I’m very happy about butter. I know how it’s made… People always exaggerate the amount used because I think that maybe people don’t cook a lot. So if they see you put four spoons of cream in something, they don’t take into account that maybe six to eight people are going to eat that dish. Plus, you don’t cook like that every, single day. Do you allot calories to foods? As in, if you’re drinking lots of wine, will you take it easy on dessert or is the philosophy more like you only live once? I feel that there’s certain amount of hysteria and I often feel that the people who are the most worried about whether something is healthy or not probably eat an unhealthy diet because they don’t eat real food. There’s a French saying, which is, “Everything in moderation, even moderation.” You have some excellent recipes for aloo gobi, caramelised onion and lentil pilaf, south Indian vegetable curry, and chicken Mughlai. Do you experiment a lot with Indian food? The London of my childhood was full of Indian food and I think an Indian restaurant probably was one of the first restaurants I ever went to. And these days, we have much more of a mixture of Indian cuisines represented in London. So I suppose what I can do honestly is translate Indian food into my own repertoire, bringing my own way of cooking to it because I could not ever really do authentic Indian food. But I certainly have amassed Indian recipes in my time and I am always grateful. I just find Indian food remarkably sensual and beautifully fragrant, I love that. I feel it has a lot of depth. You’ve been a journalist. You are a writer. You cook cinnamon rubbed pousin with a scented couscous ‘baubled’’ with amber pomegranate seeds. Baubled! What is the connect between your love for food and your love for words? I’m not scripted. I just talk out of my head. But when I wrote my first book, the task I set myself was to use language to evoke very non-verbal languages, the language of taste, texture, smell… So my love of language and my love of food are very much intertwined. And I often think that it’s very similar when I can taste a sentence in the way that I taste food. Favourite food memoir? It’s difficult. I think my mother’s way of cooking chicken in a pot with water and vegetables and seasonings. It’s not a soup and it’s not exactly poached chicken, it’s somewhere in between. And I felt that in a sense, these unfashionable, perhaps not entirely photogenic ways of cooking get very ignored in modern life. And so it was a real pleasure for me and I call it my mother’s braised chicken. Personal vice you have no intention of giving up? I am actually quite opposed to a low-fat diet because I think it’s bad for your spirits and I also think it’s very bad for your skin. I eat quite a lot of avocado, quite a lot of olive oil and a certain amount of other fats and I feel it’s healthy. Radical view, but I believe in it. How do you keep coming up with new ideas and reinventing your shows. I am a complete food book junkie. I now have over 4,500 food books and I love reading them. It’s not that I read them and then copy a recipe. It’s that I might suddenly be reminded of an ingredient I hadn’t used for a while. I feel that I think in flavours or something, so I find that helpful. A lot of the recipes I do are simple; for example, my Nigella Express had recipes I cook at home. And sometimes they come into being simply because those are the ingredients I had. Obviously I refine them. I do experiment often, but I don’t experiment laboriously. I feel that I’m like the American penal system, three strikes and you’re out. If a recipe doesn’t get right in three goes, I feel it’s not meant to be. |
Sunday, December 25, 2011
‘I have 4,500 food books and I love reading them’ TV chef Nigella Lawson tells Nivriti Butalia how her love for food is intertwined with her love for words
Roasted pigling with an apple in its mouth Italians rear pigs so they can kill them a month before Christmas and enjoy a traditional pork-filled holiday season
Roasted pigling with an apple in its mouth
Italians rear pigs so they can kill them a month before Christmas and enjoy a traditional pork-filled holiday season
Italians love their pork. Most families rear pigs, and then kill them in the month preceding Christmas. From then on, almost every part of the pig is utilised in some way — to make Prosciutto, ham, bacon, pork chops and salami. In many Italian homes, Christmas is a pork feast, from roast pigling to pork sausage or Capone (stuffed pig's trotters) in the boiled mixed meat concoction called Bollito Misto. Giovanni Autunno's home in south Italy is no different.
The chef-cum-owner of Don Giovanni in Juhu may be spending his Christmases in Mumbai now, but his dinner remains as traditional as ever. The Christmas lunch starts with the antipasto which usually includes cheese, olives and other cured meat. This is followed by a good broth. "From central to south Italy, the broth is made with a whole turkey, usually killed around mid-November," says Giovanni, adding that the turkey is reared in corn fields where they feast on grasshoppers. The Pasatelli in brodo is a broth made with brown pasta (rolled like Christmas kulkuls) that contains parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.
A peek into the Christmas menu at Don Giovanni reveals simple, tried-and-tested favourites from home. There are standard pasta dishes, the extremely light papardelle con funghi porcini (wild mushroom pasta which is best eaten hot), gnocchi di zuccha (pumpkin gnocchi with prawns and zucchini), and then the piece de resistance, ravioli de carne. The ravioli is stuffed with chicken, beef, Prosciutto (parma ham), cooked ham and mortadella (pork sausage made with finely ground pork meat, salt, white pepper, peppercorns, coriander, anise, pieces of pistachio and wine stuffed in a beef or pork casing).
The main course is either a roasted pigling "with an apple stuffed in its mouth", a stuffed turkey or both.
One staple at the Christmas table is the Cassata Siciliana. "This traditional cake is usually presented to visiting families. It is a round cake with fruit juices, liqueur and ricotta cheese, and has Arab origins," says Giovanni. Dessert is the crispy almond biscotti, the southern Italian special Cartellate pugliesi al sugo di pomegranate (a fried pastry-like dish topped with pomegranate syrup) and the Panzerotti (pastry filled with lemon marmalade and topped with pomegranate sauce). "Drinks are obviously strong wines, like the sweet moscato, or rosé wines called rosato," he says.
Italians rear pigs so they can kill them a month before Christmas and enjoy a traditional pork-filled holiday season
Italians love their pork. Most families rear pigs, and then kill them in the month preceding Christmas. From then on, almost every part of the pig is utilised in some way — to make Prosciutto, ham, bacon, pork chops and salami. In many Italian homes, Christmas is a pork feast, from roast pigling to pork sausage or Capone (stuffed pig's trotters) in the boiled mixed meat concoction called Bollito Misto. Giovanni Autunno's home in south Italy is no different.
The chef-cum-owner of Don Giovanni in Juhu may be spending his Christmases in Mumbai now, but his dinner remains as traditional as ever. The Christmas lunch starts with the antipasto which usually includes cheese, olives and other cured meat. This is followed by a good broth. "From central to south Italy, the broth is made with a whole turkey, usually killed around mid-November," says Giovanni, adding that the turkey is reared in corn fields where they feast on grasshoppers. The Pasatelli in brodo is a broth made with brown pasta (rolled like Christmas kulkuls) that contains parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.
A peek into the Christmas menu at Don Giovanni reveals simple, tried-and-tested favourites from home. There are standard pasta dishes, the extremely light papardelle con funghi porcini (wild mushroom pasta which is best eaten hot), gnocchi di zuccha (pumpkin gnocchi with prawns and zucchini), and then the piece de resistance, ravioli de carne. The ravioli is stuffed with chicken, beef, Prosciutto (parma ham), cooked ham and mortadella (pork sausage made with finely ground pork meat, salt, white pepper, peppercorns, coriander, anise, pieces of pistachio and wine stuffed in a beef or pork casing).
The main course is either a roasted pigling "with an apple stuffed in its mouth", a stuffed turkey or both.
One staple at the Christmas table is the Cassata Siciliana. "This traditional cake is usually presented to visiting families. It is a round cake with fruit juices, liqueur and ricotta cheese, and has Arab origins," says Giovanni. Dessert is the crispy almond biscotti, the southern Italian special Cartellate pugliesi al sugo di pomegranate (a fried pastry-like dish topped with pomegranate syrup) and the Panzerotti (pastry filled with lemon marmalade and topped with pomegranate sauce). "Drinks are obviously strong wines, like the sweet moscato, or rosé wines called rosato," he says.
Buche de Noel Ingredients
Buche de Noel
Ingredients
l 4 eggs l 2/3 cup sugar
l 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract l 1/4 teaspoon salt l 1 cup cake flour l Chocolate butter cream l 7 egg whites l 1 & 1/3 cup granulated sugar l 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled l 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder l 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract l 3 cups plus 3 tablespoons butter softened
l 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
Method: l Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 10-inch by 15-inch baking pan with a 1-inch lip (known as a jelly-roll pan) and line it with parchment paper. Butter the parchment or spray it with cooking spray. Set the pan aside. l Beat the eggs for 5 minutes, until they turn thick and foamy. Add the sugar, vanilla extract, and salt to the eggs and continue beating for 2 minutes. Fold the flour, a few tablespoons at a time, into the whipped egg mixture. Once the flour is incorporated into the batter, stop mixing. (Do not over-mix or the cake will have a tough texture). l Gently spread the batter into the prepared pan. There will be peaks of batter; gently smooth over them, but do not press the batter down. Bake the cake for 10 minutes, until the cake is just set. Invert the baked cake onto a clean, dry kitchen towel and peel off the parchment paper. Wait 3 minutes and then gently roll the cake, still in the butter paper, starting at the 10-inch end. Allow it to cool completely.
l To make the chocolate butter cream In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites on high until soft peaks form. Set them aside. In a small saucepan, bring the sugar and 2/3 cup water to a boil. Allow it to boil until it has reduced into slightly thickened syrup. Begin beating the egg whites on high speed again, and pour the hot sugar syrup into the eggs in a slow, steady stream. Pour the melted chocolate, espresso powder, and vanilla extract into the egg whites and continue beating until the meringue has cooled completely, for about five minutes. l Add the softened butter to the meringue, two tablespoons at a time, while beating on high speed, until all the butter is incorporated into the frosting. If the butter cream becomes runny at any time during this process, refrigerate the meringue until it has chilled and continue the process of beating the butter into the meringue. l Unroll the cake. Evenly spread two cups of chocolate butter cream on the inside and following its natural curve, gently form it into a cake roll. Cut off the ends of the cake roll on the diagonal and re-attach them in the centre of the cake with a bit of butter cream to fashion a “branch”. Spread the exterior of the wood log cake with enough chocolate butter cream to cover it and gently pull a butter knife or small, offset spatula through the frosting to give the appearance of rough tree bark.
Ingredients
l 4 eggs l 2/3 cup sugar
l 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract l 1/4 teaspoon salt l 1 cup cake flour l Chocolate butter cream l 7 egg whites l 1 & 1/3 cup granulated sugar l 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled l 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder l 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract l 3 cups plus 3 tablespoons butter softened
l 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
Method: l Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 10-inch by 15-inch baking pan with a 1-inch lip (known as a jelly-roll pan) and line it with parchment paper. Butter the parchment or spray it with cooking spray. Set the pan aside. l Beat the eggs for 5 minutes, until they turn thick and foamy. Add the sugar, vanilla extract, and salt to the eggs and continue beating for 2 minutes. Fold the flour, a few tablespoons at a time, into the whipped egg mixture. Once the flour is incorporated into the batter, stop mixing. (Do not over-mix or the cake will have a tough texture). l Gently spread the batter into the prepared pan. There will be peaks of batter; gently smooth over them, but do not press the batter down. Bake the cake for 10 minutes, until the cake is just set. Invert the baked cake onto a clean, dry kitchen towel and peel off the parchment paper. Wait 3 minutes and then gently roll the cake, still in the butter paper, starting at the 10-inch end. Allow it to cool completely.
l To make the chocolate butter cream In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites on high until soft peaks form. Set them aside. In a small saucepan, bring the sugar and 2/3 cup water to a boil. Allow it to boil until it has reduced into slightly thickened syrup. Begin beating the egg whites on high speed again, and pour the hot sugar syrup into the eggs in a slow, steady stream. Pour the melted chocolate, espresso powder, and vanilla extract into the egg whites and continue beating until the meringue has cooled completely, for about five minutes. l Add the softened butter to the meringue, two tablespoons at a time, while beating on high speed, until all the butter is incorporated into the frosting. If the butter cream becomes runny at any time during this process, refrigerate the meringue until it has chilled and continue the process of beating the butter into the meringue. l Unroll the cake. Evenly spread two cups of chocolate butter cream on the inside and following its natural curve, gently form it into a cake roll. Cut off the ends of the cake roll on the diagonal and re-attach them in the centre of the cake with a bit of butter cream to fashion a “branch”. Spread the exterior of the wood log cake with enough chocolate butter cream to cover it and gently pull a butter knife or small, offset spatula through the frosting to give the appearance of rough tree bark.
Going home for foie gras and wicked desserts In the United States, multi-ethnic families mean a multi-cultural Christmas meal
Going home for foie gras and wicked desserts
In the United States, multi-ethnic families mean a multi-cultural Christmas meal
Every Christmas eve, the Ward family sits down to a lavish meal in their cosy home in Cannes, in the south of France. The table groans under the weight of the food on it: roast turkey stuffed with carrots and broccoli, served with gravy; a seafood platter with oysters, prawns, foie gras and jam, and smoked salmon; a 'wicked' dessert — usually a Buche de Noel (Yule log); and lots of drinks. "Christmas is all about the kilos," said Charlotte Ward, operations manager at The Comedy Store in Mumbai, before going home for the holidays. "We eat everything very slowly, and drink lots of alcohol — it adds taste to an otherwise dry turkey."
Charlotte is half French and half English — her father Don Ward, founder of The Comedy Store in London, was responsible for changing the way Mumbai views comedy. But the family prefers to focus on their French heritage.
Christmas is a time when everyone in the family helps out. The youngest of three children, Charlotte is usually the one making the cookies, decorating the tree, and helping her mother with last-minute shopping. Charlotte's sister Natalie "is punished with preparing the vegetables", while her mother makes the main dishes. The men in the house collect wood for the fire.
After the meal, everyone gathers around the fireplace to exchange gifts and partake in an old French custom common to the Provence region. "The 13 desserts of Noel come from the 13 disciples at the Last Supper. The desserts are made using figs, apples, grapes, oranges, pears, etc —some dried and some served fresh," says Charlotte. These are served with nuts, butter biscuits and cookies, accompanied by tea, coffee or liqueur. While most Catholics in France follow a very traditional Christmas, a few succumb to time and work pressures. For them, the meal consists of just the turkey and the thirteen desserts are replaced with macaroons.
Before opening the presents, the Ward family has a round of speeches. "We take turns talking about the worst parts of the year and then raise a toast to the best moments. My father, the head of the family, gives a longer speech, thanking everyone and toasting to the future," she says.
Given the availability of turkey, fresh fish and different fruits, expats might find it easy enough to celebrate a traditional French Christmas in Mumbai. But for Ward, who can whip up a delicious Buche de Noel in two hours, Christmas is about spending time with family in France, and indulging in the one thing she misses in India: foie gras.
In the United States, multi-ethnic families mean a multi-cultural Christmas meal
Every Christmas eve, the Ward family sits down to a lavish meal in their cosy home in Cannes, in the south of France. The table groans under the weight of the food on it: roast turkey stuffed with carrots and broccoli, served with gravy; a seafood platter with oysters, prawns, foie gras and jam, and smoked salmon; a 'wicked' dessert — usually a Buche de Noel (Yule log); and lots of drinks. "Christmas is all about the kilos," said Charlotte Ward, operations manager at The Comedy Store in Mumbai, before going home for the holidays. "We eat everything very slowly, and drink lots of alcohol — it adds taste to an otherwise dry turkey."
Charlotte is half French and half English — her father Don Ward, founder of The Comedy Store in London, was responsible for changing the way Mumbai views comedy. But the family prefers to focus on their French heritage.
Christmas is a time when everyone in the family helps out. The youngest of three children, Charlotte is usually the one making the cookies, decorating the tree, and helping her mother with last-minute shopping. Charlotte's sister Natalie "is punished with preparing the vegetables", while her mother makes the main dishes. The men in the house collect wood for the fire.
After the meal, everyone gathers around the fireplace to exchange gifts and partake in an old French custom common to the Provence region. "The 13 desserts of Noel come from the 13 disciples at the Last Supper. The desserts are made using figs, apples, grapes, oranges, pears, etc —some dried and some served fresh," says Charlotte. These are served with nuts, butter biscuits and cookies, accompanied by tea, coffee or liqueur. While most Catholics in France follow a very traditional Christmas, a few succumb to time and work pressures. For them, the meal consists of just the turkey and the thirteen desserts are replaced with macaroons.
Before opening the presents, the Ward family has a round of speeches. "We take turns talking about the worst parts of the year and then raise a toast to the best moments. My father, the head of the family, gives a longer speech, thanking everyone and toasting to the future," she says.
Given the availability of turkey, fresh fish and different fruits, expats might find it easy enough to celebrate a traditional French Christmas in Mumbai. But for Ward, who can whip up a delicious Buche de Noel in two hours, Christmas is about spending time with family in France, and indulging in the one thing she misses in India: foie gras.
Where Christmas is a mix of cuisines In the United States, multi-ethnic families mean a multi-cultural Christmas meal
Where Christmas is a mix of cuisines
In the United States, multi-ethnic families mean a multi-cultural Christmas meal
In James Reppuhn's home in the United States, the festive season is when the family gets together. His home would see cousins, uncles, grandparents, nieces and nephews traipse in, loaded with Christmas goodies and presents. Food played a secondary role. "We would have had turkey just about a month earlier at Thanksgiving, so that wasn't the highlight," says this visiting executive chef at the JW Marriott hotel in Mumbai.
But there was always a lot of food. On the menu is stuffed turkey, which alternates yearly with goose or duck, mashed potatoes, bacon, green beans, mushrooms and cranberry sauce. "We would sit down mid-afternoon and have a true feast. There's beer and sometimes my uncles and I would bring out the scotch," he adds. Since his mother is Italian, there would be pasta too. And when his great grandmother was alive, she would make traditional Italian honey-glazed cookies. That was soon replaced by pumpkin pies and mince pies. "It's quite a mix of cuisines actually, something that can be found in most homes in the US," says James.
Given the large number of communities in the US, Christmas celebrations vary from home to home. For some it's a religious festival, whereas for others it is a festival 'for the kids'.
James hasn't been home for Christmas in 25 years. In fact, this is a busy time for him at work, and he usually just nibbles on turkey or sits down with fellow expats for a quiet dinner. But his mother diligently sends him pictures of the food, the Christmas tree and the presents back home to make him a part of the festivities there in a small way.
In the United States, multi-ethnic families mean a multi-cultural Christmas meal
 |
In James Reppuhn's home in the United States, the festive season is when the family gets together. His home would see cousins, uncles, grandparents, nieces and nephews traipse in, loaded with Christmas goodies and presents. Food played a secondary role. "We would have had turkey just about a month earlier at Thanksgiving, so that wasn't the highlight," says this visiting executive chef at the JW Marriott hotel in Mumbai.
But there was always a lot of food. On the menu is stuffed turkey, which alternates yearly with goose or duck, mashed potatoes, bacon, green beans, mushrooms and cranberry sauce. "We would sit down mid-afternoon and have a true feast. There's beer and sometimes my uncles and I would bring out the scotch," he adds. Since his mother is Italian, there would be pasta too. And when his great grandmother was alive, she would make traditional Italian honey-glazed cookies. That was soon replaced by pumpkin pies and mince pies. "It's quite a mix of cuisines actually, something that can be found in most homes in the US," says James.
Given the large number of communities in the US, Christmas celebrations vary from home to home. For some it's a religious festival, whereas for others it is a festival 'for the kids'.
James hasn't been home for Christmas in 25 years. In fact, this is a busy time for him at work, and he usually just nibbles on turkey or sits down with fellow expats for a quiet dinner. But his mother diligently sends him pictures of the food, the Christmas tree and the presents back home to make him a part of the festivities there in a small way.
A wine that starts the party
A wine that starts the party
The reason they call it the holiday spirit is because often in certain circles, the urgent and unavoidable need to take a holiday can arise out of a consequence of substantial spirit intake. I do not mean to point fingers or raise doubts about the circles I move about, but suffice to say that almost all of us know someone who could easily qualify for this case of AWOL.
But not all things spirited need to be celebrated; otherwise put, a drink can be celebration of itself. While Champagne is the undoubted king of all things festive, there is another, lesser known and definitely more modest a wine, that has a massive worldwide celebration around its annual occurrence — something that could outweigh any event centred around the bigger boys of the wine world when it comes to global reach, integrated connectivity, and mass appeal. This humble wine hails from the region of Beaujolais and the festival is the Beaujolais Nouveau.
Now, let me say one thing right up front: I don’t think it is a fantastic wine nor should the style of wine from the region be over-lauded for it risks jeopardising the long-term future for the serious wines from this region. But it has to be allowed to this wine style that the aura it has managed to create around its arrival on the third Thursday of every November is nothing short of exemplary.
People the world over gather and wait for this wine which is released barely a few weeks after being harvested and put into tanks for fermentation. The notes are fresh, very fruity, and often a tad prickly. As stated, it is not the most polished and pedigreed of wines but what it lacks in finesse, it more than makes up for in gaiety.
For no other wine can claim to attract so many consumers, no other region can recreate the aura in the streets of Lyon on the day of the launch, when restaurants all set up a table outside to serve this wine alongside some charcuterie (small smoked pork products). People move from one stand to another, till they almost lose count, or each other, in the spirited mob. The mornings after are often heavy, headache-ridden, and with an unmistakeably redolent aftertaste of cherries, or sometimes, bananas. The wine isn’t something that is discussed beyond the end of the fourth week. For a wine that appears to have a “drinking window” of no more than a fortnight, it is surprising to note that almost half the production of the region of Beaujolais goes into the making of this simple wine and another majority makes the generic Beaujolais. The serious wines (from the 10 top villages), in comparison, are but a meagre statistic on a chart.
The lesson then is clear: the world likes a party and any wine that can bring one on will be popularly accepted. All wines need not be ageing-worthy to be considered great. With Xmas and NYE around the corner, stop hogging your little stash: reach into the deep, dark, and dank corners of your cellar, reach deeper into your heart, and pull out whatever you can generously, and share it — you will find that the festive spirit only stands to be enhanced. Till next year…
The reason they call it the holiday spirit is because often in certain circles, the urgent and unavoidable need to take a holiday can arise out of a consequence of substantial spirit intake. I do not mean to point fingers or raise doubts about the circles I move about, but suffice to say that almost all of us know someone who could easily qualify for this case of AWOL.
But not all things spirited need to be celebrated; otherwise put, a drink can be celebration of itself. While Champagne is the undoubted king of all things festive, there is another, lesser known and definitely more modest a wine, that has a massive worldwide celebration around its annual occurrence — something that could outweigh any event centred around the bigger boys of the wine world when it comes to global reach, integrated connectivity, and mass appeal. This humble wine hails from the region of Beaujolais and the festival is the Beaujolais Nouveau.
Now, let me say one thing right up front: I don’t think it is a fantastic wine nor should the style of wine from the region be over-lauded for it risks jeopardising the long-term future for the serious wines from this region. But it has to be allowed to this wine style that the aura it has managed to create around its arrival on the third Thursday of every November is nothing short of exemplary.
People the world over gather and wait for this wine which is released barely a few weeks after being harvested and put into tanks for fermentation. The notes are fresh, very fruity, and often a tad prickly. As stated, it is not the most polished and pedigreed of wines but what it lacks in finesse, it more than makes up for in gaiety.
For no other wine can claim to attract so many consumers, no other region can recreate the aura in the streets of Lyon on the day of the launch, when restaurants all set up a table outside to serve this wine alongside some charcuterie (small smoked pork products). People move from one stand to another, till they almost lose count, or each other, in the spirited mob. The mornings after are often heavy, headache-ridden, and with an unmistakeably redolent aftertaste of cherries, or sometimes, bananas. The wine isn’t something that is discussed beyond the end of the fourth week. For a wine that appears to have a “drinking window” of no more than a fortnight, it is surprising to note that almost half the production of the region of Beaujolais goes into the making of this simple wine and another majority makes the generic Beaujolais. The serious wines (from the 10 top villages), in comparison, are but a meagre statistic on a chart.
The lesson then is clear: the world likes a party and any wine that can bring one on will be popularly accepted. All wines need not be ageing-worthy to be considered great. With Xmas and NYE around the corner, stop hogging your little stash: reach into the deep, dark, and dank corners of your cellar, reach deeper into your heart, and pull out whatever you can generously, and share it — you will find that the festive spirit only stands to be enhanced. Till next year…
MERRY HANUKKAH Even though Christmas steals the limelight every December, there are a lot of reasons to celebrate the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, some of which include jam doughnuts, cinnamon apple fritters and cream cheese apricot rolls,
MERRY HANUKKAH
Even though Christmas steals the limelight every December, there are a lot of reasons to celebrate the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, some of which include jam doughnuts, cinnamon apple fritters and cream cheese apricot rolls,
Ah, December. ‘Tis the season to appropriate another community’s merry traditions with little regard for religious consistency. It doesn’t matter if they believe in Santa or worry about thinly-veiled consumerism — everyone seems to be planning a turkey dinner, a festive brunch or at the very least, a drinking session. Santas are sweating bullets in every shopping mall anddwarfish plastic trees are twinkling everywhere. As far as marketing goes, there isn’t a festival in the world that can beat the birth of Jesus Christ.
So it seems unfortunate that Hanukkah occurs the same time as Christmas. The Jewish holiday, with its dreary history — the commemoration of the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the second century BCE — and its customs — lighting candles for the eight-day duration — doesn’t have the same flair as Christmas, which is celebrated mostly by buying lots of things.
Fortunately, the Jewish community was sensible enough to include a menu which sounds like a sugar-crazed 13-year-old’s wet dream: deep-fried jelly-filled doughnuts, cream cheese apricot rolls, potato pancakes, applesauce, cinnamon apple fritters, and so on. Not many of us are aware to this sugar-coated alternative to Christmas. So I felt it my journalistic duty to make all this food, eat it, and tell you about it.
Latkes are spiritual
A quick google yielded kosher-friendly recipes for Latkes (potato pancakes), Sufganiyot (deep-fried jelly doughnuts), sweet cream cheese Rugelach (rolled cookies with a jam filling), and apple fritters. The ingredients are simple, confining themselves to things you already have in your kitchen. The recipes don’t involve long-term commitments (unlike the six to eight hours required for turkey), or investments in fancy kitchenware. This is an ideal situation for a foodie like me who, while very interested in the eating aspect of food, is somewhat less enthusiastic about the preceding stage of ‘cooking’.
The Latkes are the easiest to make. Five to six potatoes are mashed into submission, along with an onion. Add eggs, flour, salt and pepper, and deep-fry the resultant mixture in small batches. The Latkes turn out to be a crowd-favourite when fed to friends — they’re crunchy on the outside and total comfort food on the inside. The oil which the Latke is fried in is symbolic of the oil that kept the Second Temple of ancient Israel lit, an association which accounts for the prevalence of deep-fried food in the Hanukkah menu. So yes, these aren’t the healthiest option, but you’re participating in an ancient ritual. That’s what I told myself as I wolfed down a couple without bothering about details like a plate or an expanding waistline.
Versatile doughnuts
The deep-fried jelly doughnuts require a little more manoeuvring. Mix together the yeast, sugar, milk, salt, butter, cinnamon and eggs. This mixture was kept overnight in the fridge. When I took it out the next morning, the lump didn’t look like it had done much besides sit there, so possibly I did this wrong.
This lump has to be flattened and cut into circles with a diameter of about two inches. If, like me, you can’t be bothered to hunt down a measuring scale, get a Marie biscuit and cut the dough around it. Scoop out some jam on to the middle of a circle of dough, and cover it with another circle of dough. Pinch together the edges till it forms a rotund cookie. And then — surprise, surprise — deep-fry them. These are best eaten warm, and lose their charm after a few hours. Eaten fresh off the stove, with hot jam spilling out from every bite — they are heart attack good. Angel Bakeries, the largest bakery in Israel, fries up more than 2,50,000 of these during Hanukkah. As a result of the national craze for them, the simple doughnut has become a culinary chameleon — the cheapest version is stuffed with jelly, while others have chocolate cream or vanilla cream.
Tricky little twists
The Rugelach (which means ‘little twists’ in Yiddish) doesn’t dillydally — right at the start I have to empty the butter and cream cheese into a bowl and mash. Add the sugar and vanilla essence, and toss into the fridge for an hour. Four balls are made of this, each of which had to be rolled out like a pizza pie, dabbed with apricot jam and raisins, and finally cut into eight slices, each of which would be folded into itself to create cute little cookie rolls.
This was the point where Hanukkah cooking kind of went off the rails for me. The dough refused to cooperate, clinging desperately to every surface it encountered. It fell apart at the slightest provocation, and even if forced into a roll, sat there sullenly with jam oozing out of the edges. Of the 30 biscuits I rolled, only 15 survived. The others ended up in a giant, jam-smeared blob of dough in my dustbin. The survivors were coated with sugar and egg, and slid into the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes. They came out looking a lot better than how they went in — browning warmly, with crispy edges.
Wish you good health
The apple fritters are the closest you’ll get to a healthy option. I combined flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cinnamon, and stirred in milk, eggs and chopped up apples. I took this mixture and — who could have seen this surprise ending coming — deep-fried spoonfuls of it. The glaze for these fritters was made with half a cup of powdered sugar, mixed with a tablespoon of milk, drizzled over the cookies.
The goodies were received with enthusiasm and contented sounds by both friends and colleagues. Hanukkah is the new Christmas — and if all this artery-clogging goodness is making you nervous, don’t worry — that’s what New Year’s resolutions are for.
Even though Christmas steals the limelight every December, there are a lot of reasons to celebrate the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, some of which include jam doughnuts, cinnamon apple fritters and cream cheese apricot rolls,
Ah, December. ‘Tis the season to appropriate another community’s merry traditions with little regard for religious consistency. It doesn’t matter if they believe in Santa or worry about thinly-veiled consumerism — everyone seems to be planning a turkey dinner, a festive brunch or at the very least, a drinking session. Santas are sweating bullets in every shopping mall anddwarfish plastic trees are twinkling everywhere. As far as marketing goes, there isn’t a festival in the world that can beat the birth of Jesus Christ.
So it seems unfortunate that Hanukkah occurs the same time as Christmas. The Jewish holiday, with its dreary history — the commemoration of the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the second century BCE — and its customs — lighting candles for the eight-day duration — doesn’t have the same flair as Christmas, which is celebrated mostly by buying lots of things.
Fortunately, the Jewish community was sensible enough to include a menu which sounds like a sugar-crazed 13-year-old’s wet dream: deep-fried jelly-filled doughnuts, cream cheese apricot rolls, potato pancakes, applesauce, cinnamon apple fritters, and so on. Not many of us are aware to this sugar-coated alternative to Christmas. So I felt it my journalistic duty to make all this food, eat it, and tell you about it.
Latkes are spiritual
A quick google yielded kosher-friendly recipes for Latkes (potato pancakes), Sufganiyot (deep-fried jelly doughnuts), sweet cream cheese Rugelach (rolled cookies with a jam filling), and apple fritters. The ingredients are simple, confining themselves to things you already have in your kitchen. The recipes don’t involve long-term commitments (unlike the six to eight hours required for turkey), or investments in fancy kitchenware. This is an ideal situation for a foodie like me who, while very interested in the eating aspect of food, is somewhat less enthusiastic about the preceding stage of ‘cooking’.
The Latkes are the easiest to make. Five to six potatoes are mashed into submission, along with an onion. Add eggs, flour, salt and pepper, and deep-fry the resultant mixture in small batches. The Latkes turn out to be a crowd-favourite when fed to friends — they’re crunchy on the outside and total comfort food on the inside. The oil which the Latke is fried in is symbolic of the oil that kept the Second Temple of ancient Israel lit, an association which accounts for the prevalence of deep-fried food in the Hanukkah menu. So yes, these aren’t the healthiest option, but you’re participating in an ancient ritual. That’s what I told myself as I wolfed down a couple without bothering about details like a plate or an expanding waistline.
Versatile doughnuts
The deep-fried jelly doughnuts require a little more manoeuvring. Mix together the yeast, sugar, milk, salt, butter, cinnamon and eggs. This mixture was kept overnight in the fridge. When I took it out the next morning, the lump didn’t look like it had done much besides sit there, so possibly I did this wrong.
This lump has to be flattened and cut into circles with a diameter of about two inches. If, like me, you can’t be bothered to hunt down a measuring scale, get a Marie biscuit and cut the dough around it. Scoop out some jam on to the middle of a circle of dough, and cover it with another circle of dough. Pinch together the edges till it forms a rotund cookie. And then — surprise, surprise — deep-fry them. These are best eaten warm, and lose their charm after a few hours. Eaten fresh off the stove, with hot jam spilling out from every bite — they are heart attack good. Angel Bakeries, the largest bakery in Israel, fries up more than 2,50,000 of these during Hanukkah. As a result of the national craze for them, the simple doughnut has become a culinary chameleon — the cheapest version is stuffed with jelly, while others have chocolate cream or vanilla cream.
Tricky little twists
The Rugelach (which means ‘little twists’ in Yiddish) doesn’t dillydally — right at the start I have to empty the butter and cream cheese into a bowl and mash. Add the sugar and vanilla essence, and toss into the fridge for an hour. Four balls are made of this, each of which had to be rolled out like a pizza pie, dabbed with apricot jam and raisins, and finally cut into eight slices, each of which would be folded into itself to create cute little cookie rolls.
This was the point where Hanukkah cooking kind of went off the rails for me. The dough refused to cooperate, clinging desperately to every surface it encountered. It fell apart at the slightest provocation, and even if forced into a roll, sat there sullenly with jam oozing out of the edges. Of the 30 biscuits I rolled, only 15 survived. The others ended up in a giant, jam-smeared blob of dough in my dustbin. The survivors were coated with sugar and egg, and slid into the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes. They came out looking a lot better than how they went in — browning warmly, with crispy edges.
Wish you good health
The apple fritters are the closest you’ll get to a healthy option. I combined flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and cinnamon, and stirred in milk, eggs and chopped up apples. I took this mixture and — who could have seen this surprise ending coming — deep-fried spoonfuls of it. The glaze for these fritters was made with half a cup of powdered sugar, mixed with a tablespoon of milk, drizzled over the cookies.
The goodies were received with enthusiasm and contented sounds by both friends and colleagues. Hanukkah is the new Christmas — and if all this artery-clogging goodness is making you nervous, don’t worry — that’s what New Year’s resolutions are for.
How would you like your plum cake... Frozen?
How would you like your plum cake... Frozen?
If Santa Claus comes to town, he would probably stop over for a quick ice break from Mumbai’s ‘there-but-not-there’ winter at Aloha on Bandra’s Carter Road. The small outlet may be barely discernible, tucked in a corner of Sea Spray General Stores, but inside is an exotic world of paletas (Spanish popsicles) made of fresh fruit, chocolate, dairy products and sno (shaved ice).
These fruit bars on sticks are divided into four categories: dairy, fruity, healthy and exotic. At the counter is the 24-year-old ‘chef’, Sudheer Grover, who left his father’s business to pursue something he has been doing from childhood - making frozen candy with watermelon and cola.
For us, Grover produced two Christmas flavours. The first one was the traditional plum cake, except that this one was frozen. But it’s the next one that Grover has named ‘Santa’s favourite’ - a heady mixture of kiwi, raspberry and white chocolate, which are the colours of Christmas. “Kiwi is the only fruit which has a natural green colour, and we wanted to give a mixture of tangy and sweet flavours,” explains Grover.
A blackboard on the wall tells us what’s on offer, which is necessary because Aloha’s menu changes every three days. “Our paletas are completely natural and have no added flavour, colouring or preservative. They have a shelf life of six months, but we make small batches because they slowly lose their taste after a few days,” says Grover.
Our favourite was the Fruitilicious paleta made of pieces of kiwi, strawberry, blueberry and tangerine held together with lemon grass juice. If you are thinking of trying this at home, Grover suggests sticking to plain juices, because layering and getting the fruits in place requires a steady hand and plenty of time and experience.
If Santa Claus comes to town, he would probably stop over for a quick ice break from Mumbai’s ‘there-but-not-there’ winter at Aloha on Bandra’s Carter Road. The small outlet may be barely discernible, tucked in a corner of Sea Spray General Stores, but inside is an exotic world of paletas (Spanish popsicles) made of fresh fruit, chocolate, dairy products and sno (shaved ice).
These fruit bars on sticks are divided into four categories: dairy, fruity, healthy and exotic. At the counter is the 24-year-old ‘chef’, Sudheer Grover, who left his father’s business to pursue something he has been doing from childhood - making frozen candy with watermelon and cola.
For us, Grover produced two Christmas flavours. The first one was the traditional plum cake, except that this one was frozen. But it’s the next one that Grover has named ‘Santa’s favourite’ - a heady mixture of kiwi, raspberry and white chocolate, which are the colours of Christmas. “Kiwi is the only fruit which has a natural green colour, and we wanted to give a mixture of tangy and sweet flavours,” explains Grover.
A blackboard on the wall tells us what’s on offer, which is necessary because Aloha’s menu changes every three days. “Our paletas are completely natural and have no added flavour, colouring or preservative. They have a shelf life of six months, but we make small batches because they slowly lose their taste after a few days,” says Grover.
Our favourite was the Fruitilicious paleta made of pieces of kiwi, strawberry, blueberry and tangerine held together with lemon grass juice. If you are thinking of trying this at home, Grover suggests sticking to plain juices, because layering and getting the fruits in place requires a steady hand and plenty of time and experience.
Monday, December 12, 2011
!! Bhindi Sambhariya ~ Gujarati Style Stuffed Okra !!
Bhindi Sambhariya ~ Gujarati Style Stuffed Okra
1/4 kg tender okra/bhindi/bendakayalu
1/4 tsp hing/asafoetida/inguva
1 1/2 tsps ginger green chili paste
1/2 tbsp roasted coriander pwd
3-4 tbsps fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
2 tsps brown sugar or jaggery or white sugar
2 tbsps coarsely powdered peanuts
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Not holding my drink
Not holding my drink
Telling someone that I am a teetotaler often feels like I am explaining an eccentric dressing sense — why do I always wear fuchsia pink striped pants, an orange top, and throw in a balaclava, too? Something like that.
I think it first happened in college. When I told my group of friends I don't drink, one raised her eyebrows and nodded — sympathetically. Another coolly put his arm around me. If I could hear the voices in people's heads, I am sure I would have overheard, "We'll see, Kiddo. I'm sure we can take care of that."
They couldn't. Neither could the group after them.
Unfortunately for them, and the numerous colleagues and friends who followed, I earnestly began explaining why I am a teetotaler. The logic is rather elegant. Roses are red, violets are blue and I hate the way most drinks taste. My boss is a patient man, but I don't think even he can help shaking his head when I announce, in the middle of his third drink, that alcohol tastes like shit.
The next, almost automatic point most people make is that it is OK (a euphemism for 'it's permissible, even normal') to not like alcohol immediately. The key, a wise friend once told me, is to keep at it, never lose sight of, er, something. Something important… he trailed off. "The point is to keep drinking till you like it," he finished theatrically.
"But why would I ever go back to something that's repulsive?" I asked, twirling the little paper umbrella they often stick into mocktails. My friend shook his head and scowled at the umbrella as if it was making me say those things.
The day after, he came over to my place to tell me that he understood "why I am this way". I folded my hands as he sunk into the couch and opened a pocket notebook where he had scribbled something that he obviously meant to read out loud. It reminded me of a scene in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Volume II, where an assassin casually reads out what the venom of a black mamba can do, while her victim writhes on the floor. Well, no resemblances here, at least.
"A teetotaler may cite religious or social convictions as the basis for her abstinence, or else she may have witnessed the effects of alcohol on relatives at an early age. The decision to become a teetotaler is based on one's own moral code. While some may view a teetotaler as someone afraid to take risks or join the popular crowd, others may see a teetotaler as someone capable of taking a strong position on an issue and not compromising due to peer pressure," he read out monotonously. "So, do you have any of these issues?" he looked up and asked. I made obnoxious slurping noises with the straw in my glass of lemonade after the drink had run out.
I've tried generous amounts of vodka, tequila, rum, whiskey, beer — everything that makes so many people so happy (high). And I can hold my drink till long after people spewed secrets and more. The worst that happened when I was tipsy on two occasions was snatching mobile phones from co-tipsy friends to stop them from talking to people (because I was talking) and locking myself in the bedroom of my friend's parents and telling her mother that I would not come out unless "a rescue mission is organised by the watchmen" — dogs, ladders and all.
A friend once told me uninhibited conversation is possible only after a generous number of shots swirl in your bloodstream. I get it, but telling it like it is in sobriety is just as fun. The only thing that's changed since I did that even as a kid, is that after a blunt remark to a relative, I am no longer taken in to a nearby room and warned to tone it down. Now, I can call for fuzzy mocktails — with umbrellas — sit back and watch the fun.
Telling someone that I am a teetotaler often feels like I am explaining an eccentric dressing sense — why do I always wear fuchsia pink striped pants, an orange top, and throw in a balaclava, too? Something like that.I think it first happened in college. When I told my group of friends I don't drink, one raised her eyebrows and nodded — sympathetically. Another coolly put his arm around me. If I could hear the voices in people's heads, I am sure I would have overheard, "We'll see, Kiddo. I'm sure we can take care of that."
They couldn't. Neither could the group after them.
Unfortunately for them, and the numerous colleagues and friends who followed, I earnestly began explaining why I am a teetotaler. The logic is rather elegant. Roses are red, violets are blue and I hate the way most drinks taste. My boss is a patient man, but I don't think even he can help shaking his head when I announce, in the middle of his third drink, that alcohol tastes like shit.
The next, almost automatic point most people make is that it is OK (a euphemism for 'it's permissible, even normal') to not like alcohol immediately. The key, a wise friend once told me, is to keep at it, never lose sight of, er, something. Something important… he trailed off. "The point is to keep drinking till you like it," he finished theatrically.
"But why would I ever go back to something that's repulsive?" I asked, twirling the little paper umbrella they often stick into mocktails. My friend shook his head and scowled at the umbrella as if it was making me say those things.
The day after, he came over to my place to tell me that he understood "why I am this way". I folded my hands as he sunk into the couch and opened a pocket notebook where he had scribbled something that he obviously meant to read out loud. It reminded me of a scene in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Volume II, where an assassin casually reads out what the venom of a black mamba can do, while her victim writhes on the floor. Well, no resemblances here, at least.
"A teetotaler may cite religious or social convictions as the basis for her abstinence, or else she may have witnessed the effects of alcohol on relatives at an early age. The decision to become a teetotaler is based on one's own moral code. While some may view a teetotaler as someone afraid to take risks or join the popular crowd, others may see a teetotaler as someone capable of taking a strong position on an issue and not compromising due to peer pressure," he read out monotonously. "So, do you have any of these issues?" he looked up and asked. I made obnoxious slurping noises with the straw in my glass of lemonade after the drink had run out.
I've tried generous amounts of vodka, tequila, rum, whiskey, beer — everything that makes so many people so happy (high). And I can hold my drink till long after people spewed secrets and more. The worst that happened when I was tipsy on two occasions was snatching mobile phones from co-tipsy friends to stop them from talking to people (because I was talking) and locking myself in the bedroom of my friend's parents and telling her mother that I would not come out unless "a rescue mission is organised by the watchmen" — dogs, ladders and all.
A friend once told me uninhibited conversation is possible only after a generous number of shots swirl in your bloodstream. I get it, but telling it like it is in sobriety is just as fun. The only thing that's changed since I did that even as a kid, is that after a blunt remark to a relative, I am no longer taken in to a nearby room and warned to tone it down. Now, I can call for fuzzy mocktails — with umbrellas — sit back and watch the fun.
Choosing the right food for kids
Choosing the right food for kids
So how many of you moms have beamed from ear to ear whenever someone has remembered the 'Chubby cheeks' rhyme on seeing your child? I used to too whenever I used to hear those words for my four-year-old daughter. I used to take this as a personal certificate for being the best mommy as I was feeding the child just the right things to get to her chubbiness. This, coming after a child who was extremely thin and people used to give me looks like I would deliberately not feed him.
Soon I realised that my daughter was gaining weight rapidly. But yet again I was proud of having a baby ahead of her milestones. Then one day when I took her to her pediatrician I was taken aback when he told me that my daughter was overweight and that she should be put on a diet or else she will keep gaining weight gradually as she grows older. He also told me her weight was not a matter of pride, but should be a matter of concern.
Can you imagine my shock? I refused to believe it. I told him that he was unnecessarily setting the alarm bells ringing when none were needed. He advised me that I should avoid, as much as I could, giving her any food high on sugar and fat. I was left open mouthed! Imagine getting a child who loves all the fatty, sugary foods to avoid it. How would I manage? And, in all honesty, I still haven't.
With a very heavy heart I told my family this and they told me to take the doctor's advice with a pinch of salt. They felt that she would lose all her 'baby fat' on her own or as she grows up. That is what I wanted to do too. But I could not not address my dilemma as to her weight gain. I discussed this situation with my mommy friends too and they just laughed it off saying I worry too much and she'll lose the weight without me having to worry about it.
Not that my daughter's weight is over the top and something to really worry about. But then when I come across some children in and around schools and my neighbourhood, I see that there are lots of kids who are overweight, and yet there is no sense of concern about it — whether it is the kid or the parents. When I researched it, I realised that there is a growing incidence of obesity in our young kids even before they reach adolescence. It is a matter of concern.
As a mother, I had a choice, I could ignore what the doctor said and let her be the way she is, or take some steps to ensure that her growth is as per milestones and not rapid. I chose the latter. Some still think I am crazy to control her diet, but I'd rather do it now than having to see her suffer with weight-related issues later. Also, there is absolutely no harm in raising a child who is conscious of what she eats, how outdoor play is important, and knowing that being fit is healthy.
I wouldn't call it a successful attempt yet, nor have I taken all the necessary steps needed, but the process has begun. I think the most important thing here was accepting the fact that as a mother my job was not only to feed my kids, but feed them the right food as well.
 | |
So how many of you moms have beamed from ear to ear whenever someone has remembered the 'Chubby cheeks' rhyme on seeing your child? I used to too whenever I used to hear those words for my four-year-old daughter. I used to take this as a personal certificate for being the best mommy as I was feeding the child just the right things to get to her chubbiness. This, coming after a child who was extremely thin and people used to give me looks like I would deliberately not feed him.
Soon I realised that my daughter was gaining weight rapidly. But yet again I was proud of having a baby ahead of her milestones. Then one day when I took her to her pediatrician I was taken aback when he told me that my daughter was overweight and that she should be put on a diet or else she will keep gaining weight gradually as she grows older. He also told me her weight was not a matter of pride, but should be a matter of concern.
Can you imagine my shock? I refused to believe it. I told him that he was unnecessarily setting the alarm bells ringing when none were needed. He advised me that I should avoid, as much as I could, giving her any food high on sugar and fat. I was left open mouthed! Imagine getting a child who loves all the fatty, sugary foods to avoid it. How would I manage? And, in all honesty, I still haven't.
With a very heavy heart I told my family this and they told me to take the doctor's advice with a pinch of salt. They felt that she would lose all her 'baby fat' on her own or as she grows up. That is what I wanted to do too. But I could not not address my dilemma as to her weight gain. I discussed this situation with my mommy friends too and they just laughed it off saying I worry too much and she'll lose the weight without me having to worry about it.
Not that my daughter's weight is over the top and something to really worry about. But then when I come across some children in and around schools and my neighbourhood, I see that there are lots of kids who are overweight, and yet there is no sense of concern about it — whether it is the kid or the parents. When I researched it, I realised that there is a growing incidence of obesity in our young kids even before they reach adolescence. It is a matter of concern.
As a mother, I had a choice, I could ignore what the doctor said and let her be the way she is, or take some steps to ensure that her growth is as per milestones and not rapid. I chose the latter. Some still think I am crazy to control her diet, but I'd rather do it now than having to see her suffer with weight-related issues later. Also, there is absolutely no harm in raising a child who is conscious of what she eats, how outdoor play is important, and knowing that being fit is healthy.
I wouldn't call it a successful attempt yet, nor have I taken all the necessary steps needed, but the process has begun. I think the most important thing here was accepting the fact that as a mother my job was not only to feed my kids, but feed them the right food as well.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Rustlin' up a shaadi menu With the bridal season on, top chefs reveal the growing popularity of theme-based cuisines at weddings
Rustlin' up a shaadi menu
With the bridal season on, top chefs reveal the growing popularity of theme-based cuisines at weddings
Apart from the bride's trousseau, the shaadi ka khaana is often the most talked about at a wedding... for years after even. Much thought, effort, energy and even resources go into the making of that perfect wedding menu. And theme-based cuisine is hot now. Right from the trousseau, the decor, down to the menu, the theme is adhered to, as event managers and chefs work in conjunction. Celebrated Chef Milind Sovani, of Song of India, explains, "The new generation travels a lot and is hence exposed to a variety of cuisines. Nowadays, the guest list is also varied, which leads concentrating on different cuisines. So when I design the menu, I create new dishes." He cites instances: if the theme is blue, the menu revolves around seafood, water chestnut. "You can incorporate natural colours to go with the decor. If it's a mountain theme, we'd do a pahari cuisine. Someone created a Taj Mahal mandap, so the menu was designed on the cuisines of the palaces of India."
Chef Sanjeev Kapoor agrees, "Weddings come in all shapes and sizes, colours and themes! We have event management companies who design the invitation card, to the different pre-nuptial ceremonies, to all the themes and then the grand finale and the thank you cards too." He points out that now there are live Pasta counters, Mexican starters and Mediterranean mezze. "I still feel we should include regional themes in weddings. I also feel the 'caterers' have come of age. You can actually call them the messiahs of fine dine weddings!" asserts Kapoor.
Vicky Ratnani, Head Chef of Aurus, says, "You'll see a lot of individually small-plated buffet and desserts, live stations of pastas, barbeque, and desserts. Everyone wants to be different, so we try and create what is appreciated."
With the bridal season on, top chefs reveal the growing popularity of theme-based cuisines at weddings
Apart from the bride's trousseau, the shaadi ka khaana is often the most talked about at a wedding... for years after even. Much thought, effort, energy and even resources go into the making of that perfect wedding menu. And theme-based cuisine is hot now. Right from the trousseau, the decor, down to the menu, the theme is adhered to, as event managers and chefs work in conjunction. Celebrated Chef Milind Sovani, of Song of India, explains, "The new generation travels a lot and is hence exposed to a variety of cuisines. Nowadays, the guest list is also varied, which leads concentrating on different cuisines. So when I design the menu, I create new dishes." He cites instances: if the theme is blue, the menu revolves around seafood, water chestnut. "You can incorporate natural colours to go with the decor. If it's a mountain theme, we'd do a pahari cuisine. Someone created a Taj Mahal mandap, so the menu was designed on the cuisines of the palaces of India."
Chef Sanjeev Kapoor agrees, "Weddings come in all shapes and sizes, colours and themes! We have event management companies who design the invitation card, to the different pre-nuptial ceremonies, to all the themes and then the grand finale and the thank you cards too." He points out that now there are live Pasta counters, Mexican starters and Mediterranean mezze. "I still feel we should include regional themes in weddings. I also feel the 'caterers' have come of age. You can actually call them the messiahs of fine dine weddings!" asserts Kapoor.
Vicky Ratnani, Head Chef of Aurus, says, "You'll see a lot of individually small-plated buffet and desserts, live stations of pastas, barbeque, and desserts. Everyone wants to be different, so we try and create what is appreciated."
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Cook chef style! With several cookery classes conducted by top chefs in town, you could now don the proud expert hat at home
Cook chef style!
With several cookery classes conducted by top chefs in town, you could now don the proud expert hat at home
Always thought top chefs have some tricks up their sleeve that make the food on your plate almost magical? Well, even if they do, they're now out in the open. Move over private cookery classes. Now, several city restaurants are conducting cooking and baking sessions by their head chefs every now and then, giving you a peek into their signature cooking methods.
Recently, Svenska Design Hotels announced the launch of a series of cooking classes on Spanish-Mediterranean cuisine by chefs of Miro, who have been taught by Michelin-star chefs from Europe. Chef Zubin D'souza, Director, food and beverage, Svenska, says, "The motive behind starting a series of cooking demos is to ensure that our participants learn the Spanish cuisine in the easiest and best possible manner."
Chef Aloo of The Tasty Tangles, Khar, is gearing up to teach different methods of making South East Asian cuisine, how to use the veggies and the best ways of preserving the food. "Our environment boasts of an open kitchen where food is prepared live. It is only appropriate that we treat all our guests through the entire kitchen experience," says Sameer Uttamsingh, Brand Manager, The Tasty Tangles.
There's a French cooking class ongoing at Chez Vous, Churchgate, that promises to teach you an authentic French meal. Anisha Deewan, a homemaker, is excited. "It's a great thing that restaurants are also doing these classes now. In fact, I have indeed noticed an increased demand in the last few months," she says. Baking classes are a regular part of Cinnabon. "We use imported Makara Cinnamon and the freshest ingredients. Our 'Bake a Bon' activity has our bakers demonstrate the entire baking method step by step, live," informs Manish Miranda, Brand Manager, Cinnabon.
With several cookery classes conducted by top chefs in town, you could now don the proud expert hat at home
 | |
Always thought top chefs have some tricks up their sleeve that make the food on your plate almost magical? Well, even if they do, they're now out in the open. Move over private cookery classes. Now, several city restaurants are conducting cooking and baking sessions by their head chefs every now and then, giving you a peek into their signature cooking methods.
Recently, Svenska Design Hotels announced the launch of a series of cooking classes on Spanish-Mediterranean cuisine by chefs of Miro, who have been taught by Michelin-star chefs from Europe. Chef Zubin D'souza, Director, food and beverage, Svenska, says, "The motive behind starting a series of cooking demos is to ensure that our participants learn the Spanish cuisine in the easiest and best possible manner."
Chef Aloo of The Tasty Tangles, Khar, is gearing up to teach different methods of making South East Asian cuisine, how to use the veggies and the best ways of preserving the food. "Our environment boasts of an open kitchen where food is prepared live. It is only appropriate that we treat all our guests through the entire kitchen experience," says Sameer Uttamsingh, Brand Manager, The Tasty Tangles.
There's a French cooking class ongoing at Chez Vous, Churchgate, that promises to teach you an authentic French meal. Anisha Deewan, a homemaker, is excited. "It's a great thing that restaurants are also doing these classes now. In fact, I have indeed noticed an increased demand in the last few months," she says. Baking classes are a regular part of Cinnabon. "We use imported Makara Cinnamon and the freshest ingredients. Our 'Bake a Bon' activity has our bakers demonstrate the entire baking method step by step, live," informs Manish Miranda, Brand Manager, Cinnabon.
Romance on your plate Wanna let your hair down? Hit this chilled out lounge in the city to do just that!
Romance on your plate
Wanna let your hair down? Hit this chilled out lounge in the city to do just that!
People often ask me if I am romantic. I tell them that to be in love… with that every breath of the air breezing across your face, even if it's 12 degrees cold, to balance yourself on the trickiest slopes of the weirdest mountains and spread your arms to some mushy lyrics, or prance around like a happy puppy on the scorching beaches with that moony expression on your face… you ought to be a romantic, or you're just loony in the head! So every actor I believe is a core romantic. I definitely am. I recall I was out with some friends recently and I turned my head up 90 degrees and said, "Wow the moon looks so awesome!" My friends found my romanticising the moon almost ridiculous and started teasing me. I defended by saying, "If losers don't have the time to enjoy simple pleasures of life, I do!"
For those of you who think my friends were right, you could very well exit this part of the page and go do your own stuff, and those of you who agree with me, come along, as I take you with a smile to a place that's a luxury in the heart of the city where you can in fact stretch your legs, loosen your nuts and bolts, hang your shoulders down and set your spirits free.
Gadda Da Vida is a chic sea-facing lounge bar at the Novotel hotel in Juhu where you can enjoy the finest sunsets, fresh breeze, a variety of munchkins and, of course, the ever-flowing seductive drinks from the bar coupled with some great music! The USP of this place is definitely its ambience and the drinks. So if you want to make your evening truly special, work towards it and book yourself a reservation for the lounge's best sea-facing couches.
Though it's not a dinner place, it's more of a drink and snack place. On a full moon night and for the killer ambience, I'm sure one could just chill gorging on a variety of snacks and sipping on life! For vegetarians, you could start with the Nachos with salsa sauce or bite into the Mozzarella cheese fingers — with Mozzarella crumbed and fried till crisp. It melts in the mouth while leaving a taste behind, which lingers on. It's slightly heavy in the tummy, but it's definitely worth a have at least once.
You can then graduate to the Hummus and pita bread, which when combined with the perfect blend of olive oil and chickpeas, provides enough protein to go for the day and pita could either be plain or a multigrain. My favourite is the classic Margarita pizza. Here I learnt that a simple tomato combined with cheese and pizza bread can be your shortcut way to heaven!
My non-vegetarian friends tell me that the fish here can give the chicken a run for its score. The Fish Acra — Crisp fried bekti with green chili finish — crisp and spicy is their signature. Grilled Fish and grilled prawn are also truly awesome to the health conscious taste buds. But if you believe that no meal is ever complete without chicken, then you must try then Bukni Murgh Tikka — Chilly garlic toasted chicken morsels whirling in the special aroma of the clay oven. Or, the more wholesome Chicken Fajita Wrap — flour tortilla stuffed with chicken and pepper julienne. It is HOT, tangy and cheesy! To gulp down rich slices of awesomeness, you definitely need a refresher and that's when you ask for the company of some of the most interesting drinks. The Virgin Mojito is my favourite, while The Green fantasy — litchi squash, khus syrup, fresh cream topped with lemonade is a stress coolant. For those who need extra pampering to get them high in life, go for the Cocktail Mojito. If not, the Peach iced tea will certainly be your elevator. So the next time, you look at the moon and it's promising to be at its blossoming best tomorrow, call your romantic date and say, "Dinner tomorrow just you and I?" And then you know whom to call next…
Meal for two: Rs 2,500
Wanna let your hair down? Hit this chilled out lounge in the city to do just that!
 | |
People often ask me if I am romantic. I tell them that to be in love… with that every breath of the air breezing across your face, even if it's 12 degrees cold, to balance yourself on the trickiest slopes of the weirdest mountains and spread your arms to some mushy lyrics, or prance around like a happy puppy on the scorching beaches with that moony expression on your face… you ought to be a romantic, or you're just loony in the head! So every actor I believe is a core romantic. I definitely am. I recall I was out with some friends recently and I turned my head up 90 degrees and said, "Wow the moon looks so awesome!" My friends found my romanticising the moon almost ridiculous and started teasing me. I defended by saying, "If losers don't have the time to enjoy simple pleasures of life, I do!"
For those of you who think my friends were right, you could very well exit this part of the page and go do your own stuff, and those of you who agree with me, come along, as I take you with a smile to a place that's a luxury in the heart of the city where you can in fact stretch your legs, loosen your nuts and bolts, hang your shoulders down and set your spirits free.
 | |
Gadda Da Vida is a chic sea-facing lounge bar at the Novotel hotel in Juhu where you can enjoy the finest sunsets, fresh breeze, a variety of munchkins and, of course, the ever-flowing seductive drinks from the bar coupled with some great music! The USP of this place is definitely its ambience and the drinks. So if you want to make your evening truly special, work towards it and book yourself a reservation for the lounge's best sea-facing couches.
Though it's not a dinner place, it's more of a drink and snack place. On a full moon night and for the killer ambience, I'm sure one could just chill gorging on a variety of snacks and sipping on life! For vegetarians, you could start with the Nachos with salsa sauce or bite into the Mozzarella cheese fingers — with Mozzarella crumbed and fried till crisp. It melts in the mouth while leaving a taste behind, which lingers on. It's slightly heavy in the tummy, but it's definitely worth a have at least once.
You can then graduate to the Hummus and pita bread, which when combined with the perfect blend of olive oil and chickpeas, provides enough protein to go for the day and pita could either be plain or a multigrain. My favourite is the classic Margarita pizza. Here I learnt that a simple tomato combined with cheese and pizza bread can be your shortcut way to heaven!
 | |
My non-vegetarian friends tell me that the fish here can give the chicken a run for its score. The Fish Acra — Crisp fried bekti with green chili finish — crisp and spicy is their signature. Grilled Fish and grilled prawn are also truly awesome to the health conscious taste buds. But if you believe that no meal is ever complete without chicken, then you must try then Bukni Murgh Tikka — Chilly garlic toasted chicken morsels whirling in the special aroma of the clay oven. Or, the more wholesome Chicken Fajita Wrap — flour tortilla stuffed with chicken and pepper julienne. It is HOT, tangy and cheesy! To gulp down rich slices of awesomeness, you definitely need a refresher and that's when you ask for the company of some of the most interesting drinks. The Virgin Mojito is my favourite, while The Green fantasy — litchi squash, khus syrup, fresh cream topped with lemonade is a stress coolant. For those who need extra pampering to get them high in life, go for the Cocktail Mojito. If not, the Peach iced tea will certainly be your elevator. So the next time, you look at the moon and it's promising to be at its blossoming best tomorrow, call your romantic date and say, "Dinner tomorrow just you and I?" And then you know whom to call next…
Meal for two: Rs 2,500
Monday, November 21, 2011
Gimme red, never mind the tears It's irresistible even if it leaves you gasping for breath, because southern coastal cuisine is as hot as it is tasty,
Gimme red, never mind the tears
It's irresistible even if it leaves you gasping for breath, because southern coastal cuisine is as hot as it is tasty,
Fenix is all red. The leather seats, the flowers, the salt and pepper shakers, and in the distance, a shiny grand piano all shimmer in different shades of red at this Oberoi restaurant.
The decor was a foretaste of things to come, because I was there for an exploration of southern coastal cuisine. Along most of India's coastline, food is usually tinged with red, because various forms of red chillies are a part of the special spice mixes that are used.
Gobu Kumar appears to be a wet-behind-the-ears chef, just out of catering college and eager to please. But as this Thiruvananthapuram-born chef starts talking, it is apparent that my lunch is in safe hands.
Chettinad spice mix
The star of any coastal menu is its seafood and chef Gobu has plenty of variations on it. The appetiser he sends out is a platter of Chettinad spiced crab cake and kariveppilai yera (prawns in curry leaf masala), accompanied with a papaya relish, raw mango pickle and raw mango chutney in mustard oil. "Every Malabari dish has to start with pappad and pickles," he smiles.
The crab cake is so light it breaks into my fork and melts in my mouth, releasing a strong flavour of onion followed by the juicy goodness of crab meat. Green chillies, ginger and curry leaves have been mixed into the Chettinad spice, which is a mixture of 18 spices and takes four hours to prepare in a step-by-step procedure.
For the kariveppilai yera, a thick batter made of urad and gram dal finely ground with red chillies, cumin, pepper and roasted curry leaves is applied to the prawn, which is already marinated with chillies, coriander powder, ginger-garlic paste, pepper and curry leaves. This is then pan-seared. What you finally get is a heavily-coated super-spicy prawn with a crunchy texture. "The raw mango chutney works well with this prawn as the slightly sweet and tangy mango cuts the heavy spices of the masala," says chef Gobu helpfully.
Grandma's cooking style
Chef Gobu learned his cooking mainly from his grandmother. Every school vacation, he would be at her home, watching her rustle up delicious avial, dal, and lal saag for him. "I still try and follow her simple ways of cooking," he says.
On his recommendation, I try the Andhra fish curry, one bite of which leaves me gasping. "Chillies are the main ingredients here," adds chef Gobu, a little too late. The red snapper in the curry is soft and gets its pungent flavour from the deceptively simple ingredients, green chillies, onions, tomatoes and the Chettinad spice mix. The next dish is more to my taste, a mild meen polichatu: fish wrapped in banana leaf with crispy shallots and a strong coconut flavour.
Here too, chef Gobu had added his own touch, pan-searing the fish instead of just steaming it, which gave it a slightly burned flavour.
It's irresistible even if it leaves you gasping for breath, because southern coastal cuisine is as hot as it is tasty,
Fenix is all red. The leather seats, the flowers, the salt and pepper shakers, and in the distance, a shiny grand piano all shimmer in different shades of red at this Oberoi restaurant.
The decor was a foretaste of things to come, because I was there for an exploration of southern coastal cuisine. Along most of India's coastline, food is usually tinged with red, because various forms of red chillies are a part of the special spice mixes that are used.
Gobu Kumar appears to be a wet-behind-the-ears chef, just out of catering college and eager to please. But as this Thiruvananthapuram-born chef starts talking, it is apparent that my lunch is in safe hands.
Chettinad spice mix
The star of any coastal menu is its seafood and chef Gobu has plenty of variations on it. The appetiser he sends out is a platter of Chettinad spiced crab cake and kariveppilai yera (prawns in curry leaf masala), accompanied with a papaya relish, raw mango pickle and raw mango chutney in mustard oil. "Every Malabari dish has to start with pappad and pickles," he smiles.
The crab cake is so light it breaks into my fork and melts in my mouth, releasing a strong flavour of onion followed by the juicy goodness of crab meat. Green chillies, ginger and curry leaves have been mixed into the Chettinad spice, which is a mixture of 18 spices and takes four hours to prepare in a step-by-step procedure.
For the kariveppilai yera, a thick batter made of urad and gram dal finely ground with red chillies, cumin, pepper and roasted curry leaves is applied to the prawn, which is already marinated with chillies, coriander powder, ginger-garlic paste, pepper and curry leaves. This is then pan-seared. What you finally get is a heavily-coated super-spicy prawn with a crunchy texture. "The raw mango chutney works well with this prawn as the slightly sweet and tangy mango cuts the heavy spices of the masala," says chef Gobu helpfully.
Grandma's cooking style
Chef Gobu learned his cooking mainly from his grandmother. Every school vacation, he would be at her home, watching her rustle up delicious avial, dal, and lal saag for him. "I still try and follow her simple ways of cooking," he says.
On his recommendation, I try the Andhra fish curry, one bite of which leaves me gasping. "Chillies are the main ingredients here," adds chef Gobu, a little too late. The red snapper in the curry is soft and gets its pungent flavour from the deceptively simple ingredients, green chillies, onions, tomatoes and the Chettinad spice mix. The next dish is more to my taste, a mild meen polichatu: fish wrapped in banana leaf with crispy shallots and a strong coconut flavour.
Here too, chef Gobu had added his own touch, pan-searing the fish instead of just steaming it, which gave it a slightly burned flavour.
Avoiding wastage is a traditional value in India which is making a comeback in these days of rising food prices. meets some homemakers who work their magic on leftovers with age-old recipes
Make those leftovers count
Avoiding wastage is a traditional value in India which is making a comeback in these days of rising food prices. meets some homemakers who work their magic on leftovers with age-old recipes
It is late afternoon. While most of her contemporaries are deep in siestas or lost in the grandeur of twin stair-case havelis on TV, Dina Sohal, 76, has more than sinister saas-bahu polemics on her mind.
A pickle jar lies open in front of her, the aroma of raw mango and asafoetida permeates the air in the Breach Candy flat. Look into the jar and the marinated-for-a-year mango pieces are all gone and what's left is a salty, spicy sediment swimming in deep red oil.
De-stemmed, dry red chillies stand neck-to-neck in a plate nearby, and the matriarch begins working her magic. Each chilli is gingerly packed with left-over pickle masala and stood in another plate. "The fiery chilli balances out the salt and the masalas. The sourness and aroma of raw mango adds to the taste and mystery," she says, laughing. The plate of packed chillies is then left in the hot sun daily for a week.
She cautions that it should not be left outside after sundown. "This recipe has come down generations and the pickled and dried chillies do not go bad even after a year if this is strictly followed. Around the mid-70s, it began to be seen as a vestige of hard times and fell out of use."
Since neither the car outside, nor the plush interiors within indicate anything amiss, we ask if all is well. "Yes it is. But, we hear every day of how many are losing fortunes in the market and I fear within," she says folding her hands in a silent prayer. "Living a little prudently won't harm anyone," she says and takes a deep breath. "Definitely not, when it smells so heavenly."
An out-of-the-pot idea
Desai isn't alone. As inflation rises and home budgets tighten, even the well-heeled are thinking of ways to recycle food and avoid wastage. Sabzi from banana peels, poha-like snacks from left-over rotis, and cutlets from left-over fish are making a comeback with vehemence.
From the city's western coastline to the far north-eastern one in Navi Mumbai, working mother Simran Chawla rushes home from her Khalsa College job in Matunga. Her thoughts are far from her lecture on Brand Management. She is wondering what to do with the large leftover pot of masoor-ki-dal lying in the fridge from the previous day. "We'd gone out in the evening and the kids wanted pizza. Stuffed, they refused to eat and so did my husband," she says. "There's no way I'm going to throw away so much dal or simply give it away after having cooked it with so much love."
Rolling her eyes in sudden glee she smiles. "Today I'll have everyone begging for more of it, and they won't even know it's the left-over dal."
Once home and freshened, she goes about getting the masalas, flour, onions and other ingredients ready to make parathas. Seeing there is only a small container for water, we wonder how she will knead the dough. "That's where the special element comes in," she says teasingly, before uncovers the pot of dal which she had pulled out of the fridge a while ago.
"Apart from being rich in protein, these lentils are a good source of iron, potassium, sodium and vitamins," she explains and goes about kneading the dough with the dal and rolling out parathas.
A tribute to Annapurna
Cooking aficionado Shrirang Khatavkar echoes Chawla's sentiment. This caterer from Thane feels guilty throwing away vegetables simply because his son and daughter curl up their noses at them. "It made us laugh when Sharman Joshi's mother says that veggies will soon sell at the jewellers' in Three Idiots. But go to the market today and you can literally watch your money vanish," he says.
So Khatavkar decided to become innovative to make leftover vegetables appealing. And now when his eight-and-a-half-year-old son Makrand asks for another bottle gourd cutlet, Shrirang winks, fibbing: "Yeah, this uncle bought them in Vile Parle. Don't know why no one sells these here."
A half an hour drive away in Kalyan, Sarita Dani's family often has guests over for dinner or lunch. "While we can adjust with the dal, vegetables or salads thanks to the legendary Gujarati pickles, chutneys and chundos, I end up cooking too much rice or rotlas," she says. So she crumbles leftover rotis into bits and mixes them with jaggery and ghee to make laddoos which her family loves. "With the rice I end up making traditional Gujarati style bhat muthiyas. These are not only tasty but make for a filling breakfast snack," she tells us and remembers that the recipe is a hand-down from a time when food was scarce and people lived spartan lives.
"Traditionally we worship food as the Goddess Annapurna and wastage has always been frowned upon both in my maternal home and here. I want to hand this down as a value to my daughters too," says Dani.
Avoiding wastage is a traditional value in India which is making a comeback in these days of rising food prices. meets some homemakers who work their magic on leftovers with age-old recipes
It is late afternoon. While most of her contemporaries are deep in siestas or lost in the grandeur of twin stair-case havelis on TV, Dina Sohal, 76, has more than sinister saas-bahu polemics on her mind.
A pickle jar lies open in front of her, the aroma of raw mango and asafoetida permeates the air in the Breach Candy flat. Look into the jar and the marinated-for-a-year mango pieces are all gone and what's left is a salty, spicy sediment swimming in deep red oil.
De-stemmed, dry red chillies stand neck-to-neck in a plate nearby, and the matriarch begins working her magic. Each chilli is gingerly packed with left-over pickle masala and stood in another plate. "The fiery chilli balances out the salt and the masalas. The sourness and aroma of raw mango adds to the taste and mystery," she says, laughing. The plate of packed chillies is then left in the hot sun daily for a week.
She cautions that it should not be left outside after sundown. "This recipe has come down generations and the pickled and dried chillies do not go bad even after a year if this is strictly followed. Around the mid-70s, it began to be seen as a vestige of hard times and fell out of use."
Since neither the car outside, nor the plush interiors within indicate anything amiss, we ask if all is well. "Yes it is. But, we hear every day of how many are losing fortunes in the market and I fear within," she says folding her hands in a silent prayer. "Living a little prudently won't harm anyone," she says and takes a deep breath. "Definitely not, when it smells so heavenly."
An out-of-the-pot idea
Desai isn't alone. As inflation rises and home budgets tighten, even the well-heeled are thinking of ways to recycle food and avoid wastage. Sabzi from banana peels, poha-like snacks from left-over rotis, and cutlets from left-over fish are making a comeback with vehemence.
From the city's western coastline to the far north-eastern one in Navi Mumbai, working mother Simran Chawla rushes home from her Khalsa College job in Matunga. Her thoughts are far from her lecture on Brand Management. She is wondering what to do with the large leftover pot of masoor-ki-dal lying in the fridge from the previous day. "We'd gone out in the evening and the kids wanted pizza. Stuffed, they refused to eat and so did my husband," she says. "There's no way I'm going to throw away so much dal or simply give it away after having cooked it with so much love."
Rolling her eyes in sudden glee she smiles. "Today I'll have everyone begging for more of it, and they won't even know it's the left-over dal."
Once home and freshened, she goes about getting the masalas, flour, onions and other ingredients ready to make parathas. Seeing there is only a small container for water, we wonder how she will knead the dough. "That's where the special element comes in," she says teasingly, before uncovers the pot of dal which she had pulled out of the fridge a while ago.
"Apart from being rich in protein, these lentils are a good source of iron, potassium, sodium and vitamins," she explains and goes about kneading the dough with the dal and rolling out parathas.
 | |
A tribute to Annapurna
Cooking aficionado Shrirang Khatavkar echoes Chawla's sentiment. This caterer from Thane feels guilty throwing away vegetables simply because his son and daughter curl up their noses at them. "It made us laugh when Sharman Joshi's mother says that veggies will soon sell at the jewellers' in Three Idiots. But go to the market today and you can literally watch your money vanish," he says.
So Khatavkar decided to become innovative to make leftover vegetables appealing. And now when his eight-and-a-half-year-old son Makrand asks for another bottle gourd cutlet, Shrirang winks, fibbing: "Yeah, this uncle bought them in Vile Parle. Don't know why no one sells these here."
A half an hour drive away in Kalyan, Sarita Dani's family often has guests over for dinner or lunch. "While we can adjust with the dal, vegetables or salads thanks to the legendary Gujarati pickles, chutneys and chundos, I end up cooking too much rice or rotlas," she says. So she crumbles leftover rotis into bits and mixes them with jaggery and ghee to make laddoos which her family loves. "With the rice I end up making traditional Gujarati style bhat muthiyas. These are not only tasty but make for a filling breakfast snack," she tells us and remembers that the recipe is a hand-down from a time when food was scarce and people lived spartan lives.
"Traditionally we worship food as the Goddess Annapurna and wastage has always been frowned upon both in my maternal home and here. I want to hand this down as a value to my daughters too," says Dani.
Biryani goes on a diet
Biryani goes on a diet
Indian cuisine tends to kill nutrients by overcooking ingredients, and the food is often saturated with unhealthy fats. But with a little imagination it can be just as healthy as the Mediterranean diet which is a popular choice for the health-conscious, and tastier too because of the infusion of spices. Expert chefs tell how to go about it
I peer at the 'healthy' chicken biryani chef Renji Raju, executive chef at Ziya, The Oberoi, places on my table, trying to nitpick before I even taste it. Biryani and healthy? The two terms don't even sound right in the same sentence, I tell the chef, to which he responds: "Well, for starters, this biryani has used only one and a half teaspoons of oil."
The biryani does look as lush and red as they come. I smell saffron, garlic and something irresistibly tangy and full of mustard. I take a spoonful and the flavours blend into each other seamlessly, without leaving an aftertaste of fat — which you don't really mind. Nothing else seems to be missing. How's that even possible?
"How is it healthy if you have used white rice?" I ask finally.
Raju simply turns the biryani over with a fork to reveal brown, unpolished rice beneath the upper layer. "You may as well play with your senses if you decide to smarten up and make a healthy chicken biryani, right? I sprinkled a spoonful of white rice just to give you the feeling of having a 'normal' biryani."
Why go Mediterranean?
But aren't some diets inherently healthier than others, like Mediterranean? "The Mediterranean diet is healthy because it propagates the consumption of cereals, vegetables and fruits. But that doesn't mean we, here in India, need to eat the exact fruits and vegetables they eat. It's better if the food you consume is grown as close to home as possible," replies Raju.
What our cuisine can borrow from the Mediterranean and European cuisines, however, says Suresh Thampy, executive chef at the Courtyard by Marriott, is the cooking process. "We kill the nutrients with overcooking. If we retain the colours, textures and the crunch you'll be surprised at how healthy and delicious Indian food can be."
Thampy rattles off the things one can do to raise the health quotient of homemade dishes — stop trying to make gravies thick and 'rich' with nuts. The thicker you want your gravy, the more oil you will add and end up overcooking the vegetables. Kebabs needn't be deep-fried — spray some oil and roast them. If you boil broccoli and greens, transferring them to cold water will retain their colour and nutrition. And skip garnishing your biryanis with fried onions.
Yoghurt in everything
"Try introducing low-fat yogurt marinade in any dish. It takes it to another level by bringing out the flavour of the spices," says Thampy. Pack in ginger, garlic, mustard paste in the marinade, use it on broccoli, for instance, and grill it in the OTG, he adds (see recipe). Cumin seeds, basil and thyme do wonders for stir-fried vegetables. Thampy also suggests adding boiled vegetables to dishes rather than frying them. He rustles up a tawa pulao and sauté blanched vegetables in very little olive oil. He doesn't use onions at all.
Chef Surjan Singh Jolly, executive chef at the Renaissance, says even something as rich as Palak Paneer can be made with just 2 teaspoons of oil (he sticks to grape seed oil at all times), sans cream (see recipe). "You have to unlearn unhealthy cooking practices and educate yourself if you want to stay healthy while consuming Indian food. We sometimes eat dishes with ghee that were actually meant for farmers and warriors," he explains, adding that no region's diet is altogether healthy — Italian food is rich in cheese and fats, the Mediterranean diet uses unhealthy amounts of pork. "It depends on how you modify your own cuisine to make it healthy. Use a yogurt-based dressing, with mint, garlic, green chillies and black pepper, for your salads instead of mayonnaise. Substitute the fats with as many spices as you like, and you're ready to go," he says.
Indian cuisine tends to kill nutrients by overcooking ingredients, and the food is often saturated with unhealthy fats. But with a little imagination it can be just as healthy as the Mediterranean diet which is a popular choice for the health-conscious, and tastier too because of the infusion of spices. Expert chefs tell how to go about it
I peer at the 'healthy' chicken biryani chef Renji Raju, executive chef at Ziya, The Oberoi, places on my table, trying to nitpick before I even taste it. Biryani and healthy? The two terms don't even sound right in the same sentence, I tell the chef, to which he responds: "Well, for starters, this biryani has used only one and a half teaspoons of oil."
The biryani does look as lush and red as they come. I smell saffron, garlic and something irresistibly tangy and full of mustard. I take a spoonful and the flavours blend into each other seamlessly, without leaving an aftertaste of fat — which you don't really mind. Nothing else seems to be missing. How's that even possible?
"How is it healthy if you have used white rice?" I ask finally.
Raju simply turns the biryani over with a fork to reveal brown, unpolished rice beneath the upper layer. "You may as well play with your senses if you decide to smarten up and make a healthy chicken biryani, right? I sprinkled a spoonful of white rice just to give you the feeling of having a 'normal' biryani."
Why go Mediterranean?
But aren't some diets inherently healthier than others, like Mediterranean? "The Mediterranean diet is healthy because it propagates the consumption of cereals, vegetables and fruits. But that doesn't mean we, here in India, need to eat the exact fruits and vegetables they eat. It's better if the food you consume is grown as close to home as possible," replies Raju.
What our cuisine can borrow from the Mediterranean and European cuisines, however, says Suresh Thampy, executive chef at the Courtyard by Marriott, is the cooking process. "We kill the nutrients with overcooking. If we retain the colours, textures and the crunch you'll be surprised at how healthy and delicious Indian food can be."
Thampy rattles off the things one can do to raise the health quotient of homemade dishes — stop trying to make gravies thick and 'rich' with nuts. The thicker you want your gravy, the more oil you will add and end up overcooking the vegetables. Kebabs needn't be deep-fried — spray some oil and roast them. If you boil broccoli and greens, transferring them to cold water will retain their colour and nutrition. And skip garnishing your biryanis with fried onions.
Yoghurt in everything
"Try introducing low-fat yogurt marinade in any dish. It takes it to another level by bringing out the flavour of the spices," says Thampy. Pack in ginger, garlic, mustard paste in the marinade, use it on broccoli, for instance, and grill it in the OTG, he adds (see recipe). Cumin seeds, basil and thyme do wonders for stir-fried vegetables. Thampy also suggests adding boiled vegetables to dishes rather than frying them. He rustles up a tawa pulao and sauté blanched vegetables in very little olive oil. He doesn't use onions at all.
Chef Surjan Singh Jolly, executive chef at the Renaissance, says even something as rich as Palak Paneer can be made with just 2 teaspoons of oil (he sticks to grape seed oil at all times), sans cream (see recipe). "You have to unlearn unhealthy cooking practices and educate yourself if you want to stay healthy while consuming Indian food. We sometimes eat dishes with ghee that were actually meant for farmers and warriors," he explains, adding that no region's diet is altogether healthy — Italian food is rich in cheese and fats, the Mediterranean diet uses unhealthy amounts of pork. "It depends on how you modify your own cuisine to make it healthy. Use a yogurt-based dressing, with mint, garlic, green chillies and black pepper, for your salads instead of mayonnaise. Substitute the fats with as many spices as you like, and you're ready to go," he says.
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Sunday, November 20, 2011
Where there's smoke, there's flavour
Cooking may be simpler in gas and electric ovens, but they can't replicate the wood-fired ovens' unique, traditional flavours,
The only thing that looks fancy about the pumpkin and thyme soup at Miro is the bowl it is served in. The soup itself is thick, pale orange in colour, and reminds us — almost depressingly — of a pumpkin. So we're surprised that it is even on the menu of an upscale restaurant, let alone during a food festival, where chefs tend to strut out their inventiveness with food.
Turns out, that's exactly what Zubin D'Souza, director, Food and Beverages, Svenska Design Hotel, was trying to do. "I want the dishes to be simple so the influence of the wood-fired oven stands out," he says, explaining his choice of menu for the 'Festival of Food Finished in Wood-Fired Stone-Floored Oven'.
One whiff of the soup dispels any notion that it is boring. The smoky aroma complements the earthy, sweet flavour of the pumpkin. Adding pumpkin seeds and almond flakes lends crunch and texture to the soup. "The pumpkin is cut, marinated, and left overnight to roast in the oven after the wood fire has been put out," said D'Souza, "The next morning, we take it out, make the soup, and leave it in the oven to simmer and reduce. The oven gives it the unique smoky character."
The wood-fired oven works on the same principle as the tandoor, except the tandoor is usually made out of clay, while the oven at Miro is stone-lined, the kind used in Europe. The oven has two semi-circular openings, closed or opened using cast iron lids depending on whether you want to trap the heat in, bring the temperature down, or cut the oven's oxygen supply. Burning wood is placed on either side of the oven, while food is placed in the centre. The stone flooring serves a purpose — retaining heat for a longer duration and spreading it evenly across the oven's surface.
The only modern component is a white analog dial that stands out on the outer stone wall, giving a temperature reading. "But it's not of much use. So often, the pointer vibrates furiously at the maximum temperature. Unlike gas or electric ovens, you can't really control the temperature of a burning piece of wood. You need to observe carefully how the dish is turning out," says D'Souza. He experiments in the kitchen with different kinds of wood for the fire. "Mango wood was a great success. To experiment, we burnt even tea roots (expensive wood that is usually carved into furniture)." But the standard option is birch with assorted dried herbs.
The smoked flavour isn't quite apparent in every preparation. The paella, a Spanish rice dish, is prepared by cooking vegetables, meat and rice together in a vegetable, seafood or meat stock. According to D'Souza, the paella is cooked first in a pan and then finished in the oven. The veg paella doesn't make a distinct impression, while in the chicken and chorizo paella, it is only the roasted chorizo and bacon that are smoky.
Our faith is restored after we try the Hickory Wood-Fired Roasted Chicken, and the Mushroom Cannelloni. The chicken leg has a crisp texture, and the accompanying red wine sauce goes well with the smoky taste of roasted meat.
In the cannelloni, the pasta dough and white sauce is prepared outside the oven. The mushrooms are roasted in the oven just long enough to remove all the moisture. The mushrooms and sauce go on the pasta dough, which is then rolled. After adding white sauce and cheese on top of the roll, it is placed in the oven. The cheese, white sauce and mushroom absorb the smoky flavour making it cannelloni unlike any other.
By the time we finish, our tummies are full and our taste buds have been exposed to some interesting new flavours. But we wouldn't recommend an entire meal prepared in this technique, since the flavour graph will remain more or less the same. Nonetheless, a few smoked dishes certainly give the meal an interesting twist.
The Festival of Food Finished in Wood-Fired Stone-Floored Oven at Miro, Andheri West, Mumbai is on till December 4
Cooking may be simpler in gas and electric ovens, but they can't replicate the wood-fired ovens' unique, traditional flavours,
 |
| Pumpkin and thyme soup |
The only thing that looks fancy about the pumpkin and thyme soup at Miro is the bowl it is served in. The soup itself is thick, pale orange in colour, and reminds us — almost depressingly — of a pumpkin. So we're surprised that it is even on the menu of an upscale restaurant, let alone during a food festival, where chefs tend to strut out their inventiveness with food.
Turns out, that's exactly what Zubin D'Souza, director, Food and Beverages, Svenska Design Hotel, was trying to do. "I want the dishes to be simple so the influence of the wood-fired oven stands out," he says, explaining his choice of menu for the 'Festival of Food Finished in Wood-Fired Stone-Floored Oven'.
One whiff of the soup dispels any notion that it is boring. The smoky aroma complements the earthy, sweet flavour of the pumpkin. Adding pumpkin seeds and almond flakes lends crunch and texture to the soup. "The pumpkin is cut, marinated, and left overnight to roast in the oven after the wood fire has been put out," said D'Souza, "The next morning, we take it out, make the soup, and leave it in the oven to simmer and reduce. The oven gives it the unique smoky character."
The wood-fired oven works on the same principle as the tandoor, except the tandoor is usually made out of clay, while the oven at Miro is stone-lined, the kind used in Europe. The oven has two semi-circular openings, closed or opened using cast iron lids depending on whether you want to trap the heat in, bring the temperature down, or cut the oven's oxygen supply. Burning wood is placed on either side of the oven, while food is placed in the centre. The stone flooring serves a purpose — retaining heat for a longer duration and spreading it evenly across the oven's surface.
The only modern component is a white analog dial that stands out on the outer stone wall, giving a temperature reading. "But it's not of much use. So often, the pointer vibrates furiously at the maximum temperature. Unlike gas or electric ovens, you can't really control the temperature of a burning piece of wood. You need to observe carefully how the dish is turning out," says D'Souza. He experiments in the kitchen with different kinds of wood for the fire. "Mango wood was a great success. To experiment, we burnt even tea roots (expensive wood that is usually carved into furniture)." But the standard option is birch with assorted dried herbs.
The smoked flavour isn't quite apparent in every preparation. The paella, a Spanish rice dish, is prepared by cooking vegetables, meat and rice together in a vegetable, seafood or meat stock. According to D'Souza, the paella is cooked first in a pan and then finished in the oven. The veg paella doesn't make a distinct impression, while in the chicken and chorizo paella, it is only the roasted chorizo and bacon that are smoky.
Our faith is restored after we try the Hickory Wood-Fired Roasted Chicken, and the Mushroom Cannelloni. The chicken leg has a crisp texture, and the accompanying red wine sauce goes well with the smoky taste of roasted meat.
In the cannelloni, the pasta dough and white sauce is prepared outside the oven. The mushrooms are roasted in the oven just long enough to remove all the moisture. The mushrooms and sauce go on the pasta dough, which is then rolled. After adding white sauce and cheese on top of the roll, it is placed in the oven. The cheese, white sauce and mushroom absorb the smoky flavour making it cannelloni unlike any other.
By the time we finish, our tummies are full and our taste buds have been exposed to some interesting new flavours. But we wouldn't recommend an entire meal prepared in this technique, since the flavour graph will remain more or less the same. Nonetheless, a few smoked dishes certainly give the meal an interesting twist.
The Festival of Food Finished in Wood-Fired Stone-Floored Oven at Miro, Andheri West, Mumbai is on till December 4
We are all brothers when we eat We immerses herself in the culinary melting pot of Borneo for a deeper sense of the place
We are all brothers when we eat
We immerses herself in the culinary melting pot of Borneo for a deeper sense of the place
In a not-so-literal sense, Malaysians are what they eat. As a result of diverse historical factors, they are a mixture of races and cultures. Workers from India, China, Thailand, Arabia and Indonesia arrived here in colonial times to sustain the tin mines and rubber plantations. They brought not just their labour and families but also their foods and customs, creating a distinctive cultural legacy. Colonisers from Britain and Portugal followed suit, introducing a culinary influence along with their desire for trade. To add to this gastronomic complexity is the primordial food pattern of the myriad ethnic groups of Sabah and Sarawak.
And so, like many intrepid gourmandizers before me, I visit Kota Kinabalu in Sabah in Borneo in Malaysia, to test the reputation of a place that was acclaimed for being the rainbow's end of complex and delicious flavours. That I land in the middle of Ramadan when, after the day's mandatory fast, culinary delights can be found everywhere in the food markets that spring up and in the extravagant buffets offered by five-star hotels, only adds to my amazement. Confronted with the mecca of all things edible, it's easy to sense that Malay food, no matter its roots, is characterised by a generous use of spices and the frequent appearance of coconut milk.
In a fuzzy good mood from the all the food I've eaten, I notice that differences of religion dissolve miraculously, as various fingers appear ready to wipe what's left of the redang or spiced curry, and the piquant peanut dip of the chicken and beef satay. Several curry mee (bowl of yellow noodes) and popiah (deep fried spring rolls) later, I glance at my watch and am in for a shock. Two hours have flown past, but my new brothers-in-food won't let me go. "You can't leave without your ABC," they say. ABC? I repeat nonplussed, half suspecting that the quantities of food I've imbibed have gone directly to my head.
Ais Kacang or Air Batau Campur as it turns out, is the queen of Malaysian desserts. Upon a mound of shaved ice, is drizzled any of the following — sweet red beans, grass jelly, cream corn, ground peanuts, palm sugar, sweet syrup and evaporated milk.
I ask to see the chef — because I know that much as I enjoy sitting here, relishing the ice cream and screw-pine coloured glutinous cakes, the best way to get a fuller culinary understanding of this place is to travel in the opposite direction to the pack. The chef tells me to go in pursuit of "the protein-rich sago grub" at a Tamu or open air-market. On my way to find this delicacy of the largest ethnic community — the Kadazandusan people, who consume every part of the sago tree, including the grubs living in them — I discover many idiosyncrasies.
For instance, food here lives without hierarchy. Favourite foods can be found in the most lavish restaurants, as equally as in the food court, as in the humble roadside stall. Just about everywhere I find an abundance of nasi lemak — fat rice cooked in creamy coconut milk, flavoured with pandanus leaf, ginger and lemon grass for fragrance. This is typically served with fried or roasted peanuts and anchovies, hard-boiled eggs, slices of cucumber and a dollop of sambal — a shrimp paste mixed with chillies, onion and garlic that is essential to Malaysians — for whom life without adequate spice would be just a little less bearable. The die-hard fans of the dish swear it tastes better when eaten, not just with some exotic fish, but with one's fingers.
When is the best time to have lemak? I probe. Anytime, they say and sure enough nasi lemak turns up as part of the breakfast next morning. I am delighted at this sign of creative life at a breakfast buffet, beyond the static continental fare dished out at most hotels , that include the standard croissants, ham, cheese, salmon and bacon.
But to truly let Sabah in, the locals say with a subversive wink, you can't leave without a taste of the uniquely red-fleshed durian fruit. I resist at first, put off by the reeking odour that I know would live with me long after I swallowed the morsel. But the minute I renounce my title of gustatory sissy and place a slice of the smelliest fruit in the world on my tongue, the locals welcome me in. I have come of age in Sabah, passed the rite de passage, let the locals in along with the fruit and they in return are ready to spur me on in my pursuit of those elusive but protein-rich grubs.
We immerses herself in the culinary melting pot of Borneo for a deeper sense of the place
In a not-so-literal sense, Malaysians are what they eat. As a result of diverse historical factors, they are a mixture of races and cultures. Workers from India, China, Thailand, Arabia and Indonesia arrived here in colonial times to sustain the tin mines and rubber plantations. They brought not just their labour and families but also their foods and customs, creating a distinctive cultural legacy. Colonisers from Britain and Portugal followed suit, introducing a culinary influence along with their desire for trade. To add to this gastronomic complexity is the primordial food pattern of the myriad ethnic groups of Sabah and Sarawak.
And so, like many intrepid gourmandizers before me, I visit Kota Kinabalu in Sabah in Borneo in Malaysia, to test the reputation of a place that was acclaimed for being the rainbow's end of complex and delicious flavours. That I land in the middle of Ramadan when, after the day's mandatory fast, culinary delights can be found everywhere in the food markets that spring up and in the extravagant buffets offered by five-star hotels, only adds to my amazement. Confronted with the mecca of all things edible, it's easy to sense that Malay food, no matter its roots, is characterised by a generous use of spices and the frequent appearance of coconut milk.
In a fuzzy good mood from the all the food I've eaten, I notice that differences of religion dissolve miraculously, as various fingers appear ready to wipe what's left of the redang or spiced curry, and the piquant peanut dip of the chicken and beef satay. Several curry mee (bowl of yellow noodes) and popiah (deep fried spring rolls) later, I glance at my watch and am in for a shock. Two hours have flown past, but my new brothers-in-food won't let me go. "You can't leave without your ABC," they say. ABC? I repeat nonplussed, half suspecting that the quantities of food I've imbibed have gone directly to my head.
Ais Kacang or Air Batau Campur as it turns out, is the queen of Malaysian desserts. Upon a mound of shaved ice, is drizzled any of the following — sweet red beans, grass jelly, cream corn, ground peanuts, palm sugar, sweet syrup and evaporated milk.
I ask to see the chef — because I know that much as I enjoy sitting here, relishing the ice cream and screw-pine coloured glutinous cakes, the best way to get a fuller culinary understanding of this place is to travel in the opposite direction to the pack. The chef tells me to go in pursuit of "the protein-rich sago grub" at a Tamu or open air-market. On my way to find this delicacy of the largest ethnic community — the Kadazandusan people, who consume every part of the sago tree, including the grubs living in them — I discover many idiosyncrasies.
For instance, food here lives without hierarchy. Favourite foods can be found in the most lavish restaurants, as equally as in the food court, as in the humble roadside stall. Just about everywhere I find an abundance of nasi lemak — fat rice cooked in creamy coconut milk, flavoured with pandanus leaf, ginger and lemon grass for fragrance. This is typically served with fried or roasted peanuts and anchovies, hard-boiled eggs, slices of cucumber and a dollop of sambal — a shrimp paste mixed with chillies, onion and garlic that is essential to Malaysians — for whom life without adequate spice would be just a little less bearable. The die-hard fans of the dish swear it tastes better when eaten, not just with some exotic fish, but with one's fingers.
When is the best time to have lemak? I probe. Anytime, they say and sure enough nasi lemak turns up as part of the breakfast next morning. I am delighted at this sign of creative life at a breakfast buffet, beyond the static continental fare dished out at most hotels , that include the standard croissants, ham, cheese, salmon and bacon.
But to truly let Sabah in, the locals say with a subversive wink, you can't leave without a taste of the uniquely red-fleshed durian fruit. I resist at first, put off by the reeking odour that I know would live with me long after I swallowed the morsel. But the minute I renounce my title of gustatory sissy and place a slice of the smelliest fruit in the world on my tongue, the locals welcome me in. I have come of age in Sabah, passed the rite de passage, let the locals in along with the fruit and they in return are ready to spur me on in my pursuit of those elusive but protein-rich grubs.
IN THE RAW Certified raw food chef Lisa Pitman shows how an uncooked meal needn't be bland or boring
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| Clockwise from top: Raw crepes drizzled with strawberry and chocolate sauce, Coconut lime cheesecake and Raw lasagna with macadamia nut ricotta, red pepper marinara and basil pesto. |
Certified raw food chef Lisa Pitman shows how an uncooked meal needn't be bland or boring
How do you make a curry out of raw food? Canadian raw food chef Lisa Pitman, who is here on a mission to "rawify" Indian curries, shows us how with a raw saag curry. This dish combines cashew nuts, sea salt, ground coriander, cumin, garlic, ginger, sweet onion, water, lemon juice and baby spinach, in a blender. Yes, it is that simple. "You can make rich curries using coconut, nuts, or sun dried tomatoes combined with spices. Toss in diced vegetables and let everything marinate for a while. The flavours will infuse the vegetables just as it does when you simmer them over a flame," says Pitman.
Below 50 degrees C
"Raw food means anything prepared without heating above 118 degrees Fahrenheit (47.7 degrees C)," says Pitman. "That means making cheesecakes and date squares without the use of an oven or a stove."
Instead, she mainly uses a food processor for mixing fillings, a blender for smoothies, and a dehydrator for pizzas and pancakes. Instead of an oven, she chills most of her crusts, allowing them to set.
But Pitman is best known for her healthy desserts — she makes them using different combinations of nuts, coconut, spices, dried and fresh fruits. Her signature dish is date squares, which she can whip up in minutes. The crust is made by mixing pecans, walnuts or cashews, raw oats, dates and a dash of cinnamon. "When this is blended in a food processor, it begins to clump together. This mixture, when placed in a pan lined with parchment paper, becomes your crust," says Pitman. The filling is made by blending dates, orange juice and orange zest. A little crust is sprinkled on top. The dish is chilled for an hour and served.
She makes a cheesecake with almonds, unsweetened coconut, medjool dates and vanilla, all blended together to form a crust, and then refrigerated. The filling is made with coconut, cashew or almond milk, cashews, date paste, fresh lime juice, vanilla extract and raw, cold pressed coconut oil. This mixture is chilled for two hours.
Ever since she arrived in India this week, Pitman has been wowing audiences with her desserts — raw cheesecakes, fruit sorbets, cookies, tarts, pies and more. "You should hear the reaction when people take a bite of a raw cheesecake... no one complains about the missing cholesterol or saturated fat... I've replaced all that with fabulous flavour," she says.
Back to basics
Pitman, 33, has been a vegan since the age of two, when her parents realised she couldn't ingest animal protein. Then, seven years back, she started reading about the connection between diet and health and found herself slowly eliminating refined and processed foods like white sugar, refined salt, flour and butter from her daily meals. She inspired her mother, who was suffering from diabetes and asthma, to try her vegan whole food diet. "After a year, she had lost well over a hundred pounds, reversed her diabetes and stopped needing her asthma medication," says Pitman. Then she shifted completely to raw vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds.
No compromise on flavour
Pitman is a full time social worker doing public policy for the government. Her day starts with a blended fruit smoothie, a parfait, or oats porridge.
The parfait is a layered recipe that is more structured than the others. She pulses dates and orange zest, then adds pecans, oats, dried cherries and salt to create a granola-like mixture. Separately, she combines cherries, orange juice, dates and salt. She also blends frozen bananas to get an ice-cream like texture. The three mixtures are then layered in a glass to provide a nutritious breakfast or evening snack. "This recipe is also a great way to get kids involved in the kitchen. They can add ingredients to the food processor, push the pulse button to get things moving and study the transformation from frozen bananas to ice cream," says Pitman.
During the day, she snacks on fresh fruits. She also makes dips using nuts or sprouted beans and spices, which she enjoys with sliced vegetables.
"My favourite foods are raw cheesecakes, ice creams and cookies. But I also make simple main course dishes with raw foods," says Pitman. An example of this is spring pasta, using zucchini noodles. "A vegetable peeler will give you fettuccine-like noodles. In a blender, combine frozen peas, asparagus, avocado, water, lemon juice, lemon zest, thyme and pepper to make a smooth sauce." Pitman uses hot water in this recipe, to pour over the asparagus and peas for a couple of minutes. They are drained and mixed with the noodles and sauce. "You don't have to choose pleasure or wellness. You can have both," she says.
The great Indian street food trail Sephi Bergerson fell in love with Indian street food when he had a pakoda at Paharganj ten years back. Ever since then, the Israeli photographer has been documenting the street food culture in our cities. Joanna Lobo finds out which are his favourite spots
The great Indian street food trail
Sephi Bergerson fell in love with Indian street food when he had a pakoda at Paharganj ten years back. Ever since then, the Israeli photographer has been documenting the street food culture in our cities. Joanna Lobo finds out which are his favourite spots
When Sephi Bergerson walks the streets of India, he is "the bald foreigner with a camera who is eating our vada pav". So, when he proceeds to shoot pictures in the middle of a bustling Dadar market or outside Jama Masjid, his subjects are happy to oblige. "I am a foreigner and speak a little Hindi, so it opens people's hearts," says Bergerson happily.
Now he says he wants to share this joy with others. Come February, he aims to take a few like-minded people on a ten-day tour through the streets of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Varanasi.
Biryani at Jama Masjid
Bergerson's love for Indian street food goes back ten years when he moved here from Israel. His first taste of it was a pakoda in Pahargunj. "Someone asked me if I was crazy. I told him the guy had been sitting here for 500 years (sic), he hadn't been thrown out and people still eat it. So I will eat it too."
What he doesn't eat, and therefore doesn't click, is non-vegetarian food, the sole exception being the biryani stall outside Jama Masjid which he could not resist. To him it exemplifies the street food experience in India. "It has the food, the crowd, the beautifully old Jama Masjid. It says India".
Chuski in Old Delhi
Old Delhi is one of Bergerson's favourite places for street food because of the huge variety it offers. "Migrants come to the city, they don't know what to do, so they start cooking something from their own home and selling it on the street," he explains, adding that he loves to see the making of a chuski (flavoured ice).
Bergerson wants to capture this era before it is gone. "You take it for granted because you have grown up with it, but make no mistake, it will change." Much like the falafel in Israel where he grew up, which went from being food sold in a "dirty, greasy hole-in-the-wall" to a "white ceramic and steel glass place that serves fresh salads".
Panipuri at Chowpatty
Mumbai's quintessential street food, vada pav barely made it to Bergerson's collection, despite being a personal favourite. "I wanted a good picture of the experience of vada pav and not the bun itself which is ugly." He has similar feelings about another favourite, pani puri. It was on an assignment to click panipuri when he realised that it just doesn't look good in a close-up. But he realised that eating a panipuri can get messy which makes people go into contortions. So he kept his distance, and used a long lens to capture what has become one of his favourite pani puri images.
Kulhad chai at Kolkata
The first time Bergerson visited Kolkata, he walked for five days but shot only two 'satisfactory photos'. The second time round he got the picture he wanted. It was on his way from the airport, when a jolt of blue on an otherwise drab street caught his eye. "Kolkata is not colourful. If I had to give the city a colour based on its energy, the life there and my experience, it would be black". He did not know which street the stall was on, so he patiently retraced his route to the airport. When he did find it, the vendor refused to get his picture clicked. Unfazed, Bergerson bided his time, shooting something nearby, smiling at him from the middle of the road, ordering chai from the stall. "He was quite tired of having me hang around there and I finally got my picture."
Jalebi in Jaipur
Bergerson always ate everything he clicked, except this one time in Jaipur. He was ambling along a bylane when he noticed a vendor carrying jalebis. A quick run, about turn and he got the vendor in the frame. "Just before he got too close, there was sunlight that lit him up from behind and made the jalebis shine," he smiles in recollection.
Sephi Bergerson fell in love with Indian street food when he had a pakoda at Paharganj ten years back. Ever since then, the Israeli photographer has been documenting the street food culture in our cities. Joanna Lobo finds out which are his favourite spots
 | |
When Sephi Bergerson walks the streets of India, he is "the bald foreigner with a camera who is eating our vada pav". So, when he proceeds to shoot pictures in the middle of a bustling Dadar market or outside Jama Masjid, his subjects are happy to oblige. "I am a foreigner and speak a little Hindi, so it opens people's hearts," says Bergerson happily.
Now he says he wants to share this joy with others. Come February, he aims to take a few like-minded people on a ten-day tour through the streets of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Varanasi.
Biryani at Jama Masjid
Bergerson's love for Indian street food goes back ten years when he moved here from Israel. His first taste of it was a pakoda in Pahargunj. "Someone asked me if I was crazy. I told him the guy had been sitting here for 500 years (sic), he hadn't been thrown out and people still eat it. So I will eat it too."
What he doesn't eat, and therefore doesn't click, is non-vegetarian food, the sole exception being the biryani stall outside Jama Masjid which he could not resist. To him it exemplifies the street food experience in India. "It has the food, the crowd, the beautifully old Jama Masjid. It says India".
Chuski in Old Delhi
Old Delhi is one of Bergerson's favourite places for street food because of the huge variety it offers. "Migrants come to the city, they don't know what to do, so they start cooking something from their own home and selling it on the street," he explains, adding that he loves to see the making of a chuski (flavoured ice).
Bergerson wants to capture this era before it is gone. "You take it for granted because you have grown up with it, but make no mistake, it will change." Much like the falafel in Israel where he grew up, which went from being food sold in a "dirty, greasy hole-in-the-wall" to a "white ceramic and steel glass place that serves fresh salads".
Panipuri at Chowpatty
Mumbai's quintessential street food, vada pav barely made it to Bergerson's collection, despite being a personal favourite. "I wanted a good picture of the experience of vada pav and not the bun itself which is ugly." He has similar feelings about another favourite, pani puri. It was on an assignment to click panipuri when he realised that it just doesn't look good in a close-up. But he realised that eating a panipuri can get messy which makes people go into contortions. So he kept his distance, and used a long lens to capture what has become one of his favourite pani puri images.
Kulhad chai at Kolkata
The first time Bergerson visited Kolkata, he walked for five days but shot only two 'satisfactory photos'. The second time round he got the picture he wanted. It was on his way from the airport, when a jolt of blue on an otherwise drab street caught his eye. "Kolkata is not colourful. If I had to give the city a colour based on its energy, the life there and my experience, it would be black". He did not know which street the stall was on, so he patiently retraced his route to the airport. When he did find it, the vendor refused to get his picture clicked. Unfazed, Bergerson bided his time, shooting something nearby, smiling at him from the middle of the road, ordering chai from the stall. "He was quite tired of having me hang around there and I finally got my picture."
Jalebi in Jaipur
Bergerson always ate everything he clicked, except this one time in Jaipur. He was ambling along a bylane when he noticed a vendor carrying jalebis. A quick run, about turn and he got the vendor in the frame. "Just before he got too close, there was sunlight that lit him up from behind and made the jalebis shine," he smiles in recollection.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Burmese connection Want to satiate your crush on Kaukswe? Get a table at this restaurant in town, known for its authentic Burmese cusine
Burmese connection
Want to satiate your crush on Kaukswe? Get a table at this restaurant in town, known for its authentic Burmese cusine
Apart from my petiteness, if you haven't already noticed my features and guessed I could have a Burmese connection, let me tell you, I in fact do! My great grandfather Sunder Rao had migrated to Burma, then Myanmar, from our home town Mangalore and made a fortune. My grandfather Amrit Rao was born in Burma and was extremely fond of a variety of Burmese cuisine and also knew how to prepare it.
And since we're on the topic of Burmese food, let me tell you that Busaba is perhaps the first Burmese cuisine restaurant in Mumbai, and I have been frequenting this place since school days. It was here that I got introduced to my grandfathers' first Burmese crush — Kaukswe and I discovered she has many interesting facets indeed.
The Kaukswe is a wholesome noodle meal that originated in Burma in the mid-16th century and is pronounced as 'cow sway'. The Kaukswe at Busaba is an original recipe that was passed on by the owner's (Nikhil Chibb's) grandmother who was Burmese. And trust me, it surely is a big reason to go to this place.
A bowl of noodle is served along with nine to 10 different bowls, which makes it look like an Indian version of a thali. Each of these bowls contain chopped celery, spring onion, fried garlic, onion rings, coriander, lime juice, red chili flakes, coconut based yellow curry with vegetables or (chicken/prawn) and boiled egg and prawn paste for non-vegetarian preferences. The whole process of pouring the yellow curry over the noodles and then sprinkling each of these condiments on to it is a rare feeling of being involved in the preparation of the dish, unlike the regular act of feeding your face, the moment the food is put on the table. When you put a spoonful of this concoction in your mouth, it's amazing how each of these fine condiments leave a special feeling of their unique presence to our taste buds! The best part is, you can also individually choose to mix any combination from the rich array of these accompaniments to create your own original taste sensation. I especially feel the comb of celery and burnt garlic chops adding to the flavour of curried noodle leaving an exotic sensation in the mouth.
Just like the history of Burma accommodated various cultural habitants, Busaba's kitchen is stacked with chefs from Vietnam, Thailand and Korea, presenting their niche delicacies. With its precise mezzanine arrangement of a 'resto-bar', you could experience a fine dining atmosphere upstairs or slip downstairs into the cozy chalet lounge with jazz, funk or house beats, and pamper a mixed cocktail in your hand with the motto being — just chill! (The watermelon Man — named after the jazz guru Herbie Hancock promises to rhythmise your senses; the Good Morning Vietnam is compulsory, I insist!). For starters, vegetarians could find bliss in the Khao pod tod — Thai corn cakes with red bell peppers, cilantro and curry paste served with a sweet and sour sauce or my favourite Banh xeo — Vietnamese rice pancakes filled with bean sprouts, mushroom, tofu and fried onion.
There is a unique variety of seafood starters like the Japanese tempura — squid or prawns fried in a light batter and served with a sweet chili sauce. My friends drool over the Satay-Thai barbecue chicken, pork or prawn served on skewers with a spicy peanut sauce.
Also, the Tod man pla — spicy Thai fish cakes (with cucumber chilli pepper relish), I hear is a show stopper! With such exotic variety of starters in the menu, one could easily get tempted not to begin with the main course at all! My expert advise — starters must be light and preferably shared, if you go there in a large group so that you have ample space in your tummy for the Kaukswe, which in itself is a 'one meal dish'.
The Bulgogi — Korean style marinated beef with shaved garlic, spring onions, lettuce leaves, mushrooms and Koearn chilli paste, the Pla neung Manao — Thai steamed fish with lime chilly and garlic and the Disha fire red based crab are runaway successes too. If you can claim to die eating like me, don't leave the place without tasting the chocolate fondant. I'm sure you will agree with me that Busaba's creative appeal carves a niche in South East Asian cuisine. If my taste buds feel a magnetic pull and find a soul satisfaction at Busaba, it's got to be my DNA!
Amrita Rao is an actor and a foodie.
Want to satiate your crush on Kaukswe? Get a table at this restaurant in town, known for its authentic Burmese cusine
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Apart from my petiteness, if you haven't already noticed my features and guessed I could have a Burmese connection, let me tell you, I in fact do! My great grandfather Sunder Rao had migrated to Burma, then Myanmar, from our home town Mangalore and made a fortune. My grandfather Amrit Rao was born in Burma and was extremely fond of a variety of Burmese cuisine and also knew how to prepare it.
And since we're on the topic of Burmese food, let me tell you that Busaba is perhaps the first Burmese cuisine restaurant in Mumbai, and I have been frequenting this place since school days. It was here that I got introduced to my grandfathers' first Burmese crush — Kaukswe and I discovered she has many interesting facets indeed.
The Kaukswe is a wholesome noodle meal that originated in Burma in the mid-16th century and is pronounced as 'cow sway'. The Kaukswe at Busaba is an original recipe that was passed on by the owner's (Nikhil Chibb's) grandmother who was Burmese. And trust me, it surely is a big reason to go to this place.
A bowl of noodle is served along with nine to 10 different bowls, which makes it look like an Indian version of a thali. Each of these bowls contain chopped celery, spring onion, fried garlic, onion rings, coriander, lime juice, red chili flakes, coconut based yellow curry with vegetables or (chicken/prawn) and boiled egg and prawn paste for non-vegetarian preferences. The whole process of pouring the yellow curry over the noodles and then sprinkling each of these condiments on to it is a rare feeling of being involved in the preparation of the dish, unlike the regular act of feeding your face, the moment the food is put on the table. When you put a spoonful of this concoction in your mouth, it's amazing how each of these fine condiments leave a special feeling of their unique presence to our taste buds! The best part is, you can also individually choose to mix any combination from the rich array of these accompaniments to create your own original taste sensation. I especially feel the comb of celery and burnt garlic chops adding to the flavour of curried noodle leaving an exotic sensation in the mouth.
Just like the history of Burma accommodated various cultural habitants, Busaba's kitchen is stacked with chefs from Vietnam, Thailand and Korea, presenting their niche delicacies. With its precise mezzanine arrangement of a 'resto-bar', you could experience a fine dining atmosphere upstairs or slip downstairs into the cozy chalet lounge with jazz, funk or house beats, and pamper a mixed cocktail in your hand with the motto being — just chill! (The watermelon Man — named after the jazz guru Herbie Hancock promises to rhythmise your senses; the Good Morning Vietnam is compulsory, I insist!). For starters, vegetarians could find bliss in the Khao pod tod — Thai corn cakes with red bell peppers, cilantro and curry paste served with a sweet and sour sauce or my favourite Banh xeo — Vietnamese rice pancakes filled with bean sprouts, mushroom, tofu and fried onion.
There is a unique variety of seafood starters like the Japanese tempura — squid or prawns fried in a light batter and served with a sweet chili sauce. My friends drool over the Satay-Thai barbecue chicken, pork or prawn served on skewers with a spicy peanut sauce.
Also, the Tod man pla — spicy Thai fish cakes (with cucumber chilli pepper relish), I hear is a show stopper! With such exotic variety of starters in the menu, one could easily get tempted not to begin with the main course at all! My expert advise — starters must be light and preferably shared, if you go there in a large group so that you have ample space in your tummy for the Kaukswe, which in itself is a 'one meal dish'.
The Bulgogi — Korean style marinated beef with shaved garlic, spring onions, lettuce leaves, mushrooms and Koearn chilli paste, the Pla neung Manao — Thai steamed fish with lime chilly and garlic and the Disha fire red based crab are runaway successes too. If you can claim to die eating like me, don't leave the place without tasting the chocolate fondant. I'm sure you will agree with me that Busaba's creative appeal carves a niche in South East Asian cuisine. If my taste buds feel a magnetic pull and find a soul satisfaction at Busaba, it's got to be my DNA!
Amrita Rao is an actor and a foodie.
Tuck in some turkey! Thanksgiving Day is coming up on Thursday; try out these turkey recipes...
Tuck in some turkey!
Thanksgiving Day is coming up on Thursday; try out these turkey recipes...
Thanksgiving Day has been officially recognised as an annual tradition since the 80s. Initially Thanksgiving was celebrated after the harvest cycles to give thanks for a good harvest season and rejoice with family and friends with a feast. Oven roasted turkey is a must in every household celebrating Thanksgiving. Following the tradition, restaurants in Mumbai have come up with their own food spread especially for this occasion. LPQ is offering dishes like Smoked turkey breast shavings with cornichons, herb cheese and scallions and Pumpkin cake with vanilla ice-cream. Indigo Delis have roasted butterball turkey and apple pie. Renaissance hotel offers Turkey escalope, fennel-prosciutto mascarpone gratin and Braised turkey shank. So, here are a few recipes that you can cook up for Thanksgiving at your home...
Roasted Turkey with chestnut, sage, apple stuffing and cranberry jelly (Le Pain Quotidien)
Ingredients:
Turkey breast - 1.2 kg
Demi-glace - 500 ml
Onion - 300 gms
Garlic - 40 gms
Leeks - 150 gms
Celery - 75 gms
Croissant - 1
Brioche - 2
Sage - 5 gms
Apricot canned - 5
Milk - 400 ml
Carrot - 300 gm
Cranberry jelly - 50 gm
Egg - 1
Red apple - 1
Water chestnut - 100 gms
Prunes - 30 gms
Salt - 10 gms
Pepper - 5 gms
Olive oil - 200 ml
Thyme - 5 gms
Pre Preparation:
Clean the turkey breast; flatten it using a meat hammer. Marinate it with salt, pepper and chopped thyme. Make it into roulade and tie it using a twine. Cut a few vegetables for mirepoix for the base. For the stuffing - saute carrot, leeks, celery, garlic. Add this to the diced croissant and brioche; add milk, seasoning and egg. And keep it for 15 mins till the bread soaks all the liquid. Make a roulade using a kiln film and cover it with foil and keep water boiling for cooking. Make florets of the broccoli and blanch them. Chop the prunes for the sauce and add them into the demi-glace.
Preparation:
Set the oven at 175 degree Celsius. In a roasting pan put the mirepoix and place the turkey roulade on it. Pour some demi glace over it. Cook it for 45 mins basting it every 10 mins. Poach the stuffing roulade in the boiling water for 15 mins at the same time. Put the cranberry jelly in the apricot halves and warm it in the oven. Sauté the broccoli florets in olive oil with some seasoning. Slice the turkey breast and roulade and arrange it alternatively on the plate. Along with the broccoli, apricot and pour over the sauce with prunes. Roasted Turkey by Chef James Reppuhn, Visiting Executive Chef, JW Marriott
Ingredients:
Whole Turkey - 1nos. (Approximately 5-6kg)
Unsalted Butter - 300gms
Fresh Sage - 30gms (40-45 leaves)
Onion - 2 nos.
Celery - 4 sticks
Carrot - 2 nos.
Leek - 2 nos.
Salt - to taste
Black pepper powder - to taste
For Stuffing:
White bread -10 Slices
Celery - 3 sticks
Onion - 1 medium
Chicken Stock - 1 cup
Egg - 1 nos.
Salt - to taste, black pepper powder - to taste
Method:
Keep the unsalted butter at room temperature, when it is soft mix it with chopped fresh sage. Cut the wings of turkey at end bone, this helps it to seat still while roasting. Cut the excess skin near the neck. Wash the turkey and pat dry with paper towel. Season the turkey with salt and pepper powder. Rub the turkey with sage butter. Cut the onion, celery, carrot and leek in to large dices. Place them in the roasting tray. This will infuse the flavour in turkey while roasting. Pre-heat the oven at 180 degree Celsius for 30 minutes. Put the Turkey in roasting tray, put it in the oven and roast. It will take 75-90 minutes.
For Stuffing:
Cut the white bread slices in to cubes. Chop the onion and celery finely, saute it lightly in butter. In a mixing bowl mix together bread cubes, sauteed onion and celery, egg and chicken stock. Season the mixture with salt and pepper powder. Place this mixture in an oven dish and place it in the pre-heated oven at 180 degree Celsius for 15 minutes. Serve hot with accompaniments like mashed potato, roasted sweet potatoes, bacon, green beans and mushroom, and cranberry sauce.
Thanksgiving Day is coming up on Thursday; try out these turkey recipes...
Thanksgiving Day has been officially recognised as an annual tradition since the 80s. Initially Thanksgiving was celebrated after the harvest cycles to give thanks for a good harvest season and rejoice with family and friends with a feast. Oven roasted turkey is a must in every household celebrating Thanksgiving. Following the tradition, restaurants in Mumbai have come up with their own food spread especially for this occasion. LPQ is offering dishes like Smoked turkey breast shavings with cornichons, herb cheese and scallions and Pumpkin cake with vanilla ice-cream. Indigo Delis have roasted butterball turkey and apple pie. Renaissance hotel offers Turkey escalope, fennel-prosciutto mascarpone gratin and Braised turkey shank. So, here are a few recipes that you can cook up for Thanksgiving at your home...
Roasted Turkey with chestnut, sage, apple stuffing and cranberry jelly (Le Pain Quotidien)
Ingredients:
Turkey breast - 1.2 kg
Demi-glace - 500 ml
Onion - 300 gms
Garlic - 40 gms
Leeks - 150 gms
Celery - 75 gms
Croissant - 1
Brioche - 2
Sage - 5 gms
Apricot canned - 5
Milk - 400 ml
Carrot - 300 gm
Cranberry jelly - 50 gm
Egg - 1
Red apple - 1
Water chestnut - 100 gms
Prunes - 30 gms
Salt - 10 gms
Pepper - 5 gms
Olive oil - 200 ml
Thyme - 5 gms
Pre Preparation:
Clean the turkey breast; flatten it using a meat hammer. Marinate it with salt, pepper and chopped thyme. Make it into roulade and tie it using a twine. Cut a few vegetables for mirepoix for the base. For the stuffing - saute carrot, leeks, celery, garlic. Add this to the diced croissant and brioche; add milk, seasoning and egg. And keep it for 15 mins till the bread soaks all the liquid. Make a roulade using a kiln film and cover it with foil and keep water boiling for cooking. Make florets of the broccoli and blanch them. Chop the prunes for the sauce and add them into the demi-glace.
Preparation:
Set the oven at 175 degree Celsius. In a roasting pan put the mirepoix and place the turkey roulade on it. Pour some demi glace over it. Cook it for 45 mins basting it every 10 mins. Poach the stuffing roulade in the boiling water for 15 mins at the same time. Put the cranberry jelly in the apricot halves and warm it in the oven. Sauté the broccoli florets in olive oil with some seasoning. Slice the turkey breast and roulade and arrange it alternatively on the plate. Along with the broccoli, apricot and pour over the sauce with prunes. Roasted Turkey by Chef James Reppuhn, Visiting Executive Chef, JW Marriott
Ingredients:
Whole Turkey - 1nos. (Approximately 5-6kg)
Unsalted Butter - 300gms
Fresh Sage - 30gms (40-45 leaves)
Onion - 2 nos.
Celery - 4 sticks
Carrot - 2 nos.
Leek - 2 nos.
Salt - to taste
Black pepper powder - to taste
For Stuffing:
White bread -10 Slices
Celery - 3 sticks
Onion - 1 medium
Chicken Stock - 1 cup
Egg - 1 nos.
Salt - to taste, black pepper powder - to taste
Method:
Keep the unsalted butter at room temperature, when it is soft mix it with chopped fresh sage. Cut the wings of turkey at end bone, this helps it to seat still while roasting. Cut the excess skin near the neck. Wash the turkey and pat dry with paper towel. Season the turkey with salt and pepper powder. Rub the turkey with sage butter. Cut the onion, celery, carrot and leek in to large dices. Place them in the roasting tray. This will infuse the flavour in turkey while roasting. Pre-heat the oven at 180 degree Celsius for 30 minutes. Put the Turkey in roasting tray, put it in the oven and roast. It will take 75-90 minutes.
For Stuffing:
Cut the white bread slices in to cubes. Chop the onion and celery finely, saute it lightly in butter. In a mixing bowl mix together bread cubes, sauteed onion and celery, egg and chicken stock. Season the mixture with salt and pepper powder. Place this mixture in an oven dish and place it in the pre-heated oven at 180 degree Celsius for 15 minutes. Serve hot with accompaniments like mashed potato, roasted sweet potatoes, bacon, green beans and mushroom, and cranberry sauce.
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Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Apple, chocolate, pomegranate idlis, anyone? Coimbatore man applies for patent and Intellectual Property Rights for 20 varieties of idlis
Apple, chocolate, pomegranate idlis, anyone?
Coimbatore man applies for patent and Intellectual Property Rights for 20 varieties of idlis
If variety is the spice of life, then nobody other than Kovai Iniyavan of Coimbatore has truly lived upto the adage.
A 38-year-old school drop out from Coimbatore, Kovai has not only developed scores of varieties of idlis, but has also applied for patents for 20 types of the popular south Indian dish.
The caterer has applied for patent and Intellectual Property Rights for these idlis claiming all the recipes were exclusively developed by him. His menu card boasts of 200 types of idlis comprising apple, orange, tomato, pizza , pudina, curry, honey, etc varieties.
"They differ in taste, shape and smell. He makes idlis with various kinds of fruits, vegetables and spices," said Gnanavel Murugan, a foodie from Chennai.
Kovai learnt the art of idli making from Chandra, a widow in Coimbatore whom he helped in transporting the idlis she made to hotels.
"Later I started helping her in idli making and she taught me how to prepare soft and tasty idlis. It was a new experience and she shared all knowledge with me," he said.
Idli is the simplest and safest of all foods, says Kovian.
"But one has to be careful while preparing the batter. Housewives grind rice and lentils and leave it overnight for fermentation. That is not the correct method," said Iniyavan.
Though he grinds the rice the previous day, the lentil is ground only three or four hours before the idli is steamed.
"The rice and lentil are mixed just two hours before preparing the idli," he said.
Kovian asks housewives to use aluminum vessels to steam idli. "Pour the batter only after the water starts boiling and use only two layers at the same time," he said.
On the anvil are idlis made of tender coconut, carrot, chocolate, pomegranate, coriander, etc. "This will make idly eating a new experience because every day one can think of having a new variety," he said.
Coimbatore man applies for patent and Intellectual Property Rights for 20 varieties of idlis
 | |
If variety is the spice of life, then nobody other than Kovai Iniyavan of Coimbatore has truly lived upto the adage.
A 38-year-old school drop out from Coimbatore, Kovai has not only developed scores of varieties of idlis, but has also applied for patents for 20 types of the popular south Indian dish.
The caterer has applied for patent and Intellectual Property Rights for these idlis claiming all the recipes were exclusively developed by him. His menu card boasts of 200 types of idlis comprising apple, orange, tomato, pizza , pudina, curry, honey, etc varieties.
"They differ in taste, shape and smell. He makes idlis with various kinds of fruits, vegetables and spices," said Gnanavel Murugan, a foodie from Chennai.
Kovai learnt the art of idli making from Chandra, a widow in Coimbatore whom he helped in transporting the idlis she made to hotels.
"Later I started helping her in idli making and she taught me how to prepare soft and tasty idlis. It was a new experience and she shared all knowledge with me," he said.
Idli is the simplest and safest of all foods, says Kovian.
"But one has to be careful while preparing the batter. Housewives grind rice and lentils and leave it overnight for fermentation. That is not the correct method," said Iniyavan.
Though he grinds the rice the previous day, the lentil is ground only three or four hours before the idli is steamed.
"The rice and lentil are mixed just two hours before preparing the idli," he said.
Kovian asks housewives to use aluminum vessels to steam idli. "Pour the batter only after the water starts boiling and use only two layers at the same time," he said.
On the anvil are idlis made of tender coconut, carrot, chocolate, pomegranate, coriander, etc. "This will make idly eating a new experience because every day one can think of having a new variety," he said.
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