Banana flower cutlets - Recipe

Banana flower cutlets

INGREDIENTS 
500 gms mocha/banana flower
2 potatoes
1 green chilli 2
0 ml vanilla essence
50 gm peanuts
20 gm raisins
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp garam masala
2 cups gram flour (besan) Salt and
sugar to taste

 

  DIRECTIONS:
Boil and mash the potatoes. Cut the banana flower into thin strips and boil it in water. Strain it and keep it aside. Heat oil in a pan and add green chilli, peanuts and raisins to it. Stir it. Add the banana flower with all the spices to this mixture and fry it. Serve it hot.

Sample diet plan

BREAKFAST 1 cup of either upma, poha, or cereal porridge OR 2 slices of bread + 2 egg whites OR 1 cup of either milk or curd

MID MORNING 1 fruit OR vegetable juice OR coconut water + 4 Almonds or 2 Walnuts

LUNCH 2 rotis + 1 cup veg + 1 cup dal + either chicken or fish +1 cup salad + 1 glass buttermilk

EVENING 1 cup tea with either 1 cup kurmura chana, 2 khakhra or 2 biscuits

LATE EVENING 1 fruit OR 1 cup soup OR 1 cup Sprouts salad

DINNER 1-2 rotis of either wheat, jowar, bajra OR 3-4 idlis OR 1 cup brown rice + 1 cup dal + either chicken curry or steamed fish+ 1 cup curd+ 1 cup veg + either salad or soup

DIETS RICH IN

Antioxidants (fruits, vegetables, green tea, beans cloves, cinnamon, ginger) Fibre (fruits and vegetables, whole grains, pulses, nuts, seeds) Protein (fish, chicken, egg, low fat milk and milk products, soya) Omega 3 (walnuts, flaxseed, soya oil, fish like salmon, mackerel).

Experts tell us how to eat healthy in Diwali?

BEAT THE FESTIVE WEIGHT GAIN

Bingeing on the sweets can wreak havoc on the waistline. In the first of our threepart Diwali series, the experts tell us how to eat healthy

Diwali is that time of the year when in every household, the aromas of ghee-laden sweets and indulgent festive dishes become hard to resist. The gulab jamun might be tempting, but it might come at the cost of not fitting into that brand new outfit. This year, you can choose to celebrate a healthy Diwali. Here’s how.

NEXT WEEK: Learn the best ways to prepare healthy sweets.

  Balance it out
While a little indulgence is harmless, make sure you balance it out by eating healthy foods as well. “A balanced diet includes six essential nutrients — carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals and water, which the body requires in both large and small amounts,” says wellness expert Namita Jain. “These can help maximise physical and mental performance and also help regain vitality.”
For a balanced diet, “carbohydrates (grains, vegetables, fruits) must make 5560 per cent of your diet; proteins (milk, eggs, meat, fish, sprouts) about 15 per cent; and fats (oils, butter) about 25-30 per cent,” says Jain.

Detox it out
A three-day detox diet can also help flush out toxins and get you in a good shape. Go for vegetable juice, coconut or limewater, soups and herbal teas throughout the day to compensate for the heavy meals. “Incorporate bottle gourd (dudhi) juice, green vegetables juice or wheatgrass juice in the detox diet for three days. On the fourth day, try and eat simple food items like porridge, khichdi, dal, soup or milk and milk products,” says dietician Mitalee Doshi.

Fad diets, however, are not recommended, as they don’t give the body the nutrition it requires.
It is also important to include regular physical activity, to help burn extra calories. Days before the festivities begin, increase the time of your regular exercise regime. “If you walk or jog regularly, add an extra 15 minutes. Devote at least an hour in the morning to exercising your muscles — walk, jog or hit the gym,” says Doshi.

Go for

DIETS RICH IN

Antioxidants (fruits, vegetables, green tea, beans cloves, cinnamon, ginger) Fibre (fruits and vegetables, whole grains, pulses, nuts, seeds) Protein (fish, chicken, egg, low fat milk and milk products, soya) Omega 3 (walnuts, flaxseed, soya oil, fish like salmon, mackerel).

Which is the best coffee of them all? How Starbucks adapts to Indian beans will settle the issue

Which is the best coffee of them all?

How Starbucks adapts to Indian beans will settle the issue

The Starbucks brand name is enough to attract many Mumbaikars to its outlets at Horniman Circle in town, which opened on Friday, and at Oberoi Mall in Goregaon, which will open next week. But once the initial excitement is over, it will all boil down to the coffee. After all, Starbucks isn’t the first premium cafe chain to open in India. Coffee Bean; Tea Leaf (CBTL) from the US, Costa Coffee from the UK, Di Bella and Gloria Jean's Coffees from Australia, and the India-based Bru World Cafe have already raised the bar for what constitutes a good cuppa. Referring to the coffee beans, Sahil Jatana, who conducts workshops on brewing coffee says, “Abroad, I have found classic preparations such as Americano, cappuccino and latte at Starbucks to be too overpowering for my taste. Since they are using Indian beans for their outlets here, the coffee may taste different here.” There are many factors that decide the flavour of the coffee you drink. The traditional south Indian coffee powder is a blend of two coffee bean varieties, called Arabica and Robusta, as well as a herb called chicory. Coffee chains such as Starbucks use 100% Arabica beans, which are considered superior in flavour to the Robusta beans. The region where the beans are grown also influences the taste. That’s why it’s important to get the right blend of coffee beans from different regions. Finally, there’s the temperature and the technique used to roast the beans. Every coffee chain has its own formula, which differentiates the coffee they serve from one another. For instance, the black coffee at Cafe Coffee Day is far too bitter for my palette, and it wasn’t until Costa Coffee began did I take to the drink. Taste is also very subjective, points out Jatana, and though he prefers to have his cappuccino at Bru World Cafe, at every coffee chain, there’s at least one drink he loves the best. “The number of recipes that Starbucks brings to the table will be their biggest advantage. It is the various combinations of coffee and flavourings such as hazelnut, vanilla, chocolate or cream, perfected over the last few decades that has made Starbucks so popular,” says one coffee enthusiast who works with theindianbean.com, a website that sells coffee beans sourced within India. Starbucks has also priced its drinks competitively for the Indian market, something few people were expecting. With their Caffe Americano selling for Rs90, it’s prices are in the same range as CBTL and Costa Coffee. This shows that the company is aware that doing well in the Indian market won’t be easy, despite its legendary brand name. As for the rest of us, there’s never been a better time to be a coffee lover.

Where is best top south mumbai juhu beach cheap buffet restaurants-hotels guide

The quest for cuisine continues

Every once in a while we yearn to eat something special. It may be a certain type of cuisine or just a favourite dish. While home-cooked food is undoubtedly the best option, eating out occasionally helps to satisfy the taste buds without straining the cook and kitchen. Even the duration of the meal makes a difference. Eating out enables us to meet up with friends and family, discuss things at leisure and bond over the authentic, traditional items that evoke memories of childhood days or stages of growing up. Let's look at some of the popular options. Mahesh Lunch Home For seafood aficionados, Mahesh Lunch Home, Juhu, provides a gourmet destination. Its 11th anniversary celebrations with the ‘Crab & Wine Festival’ from October 8 – 25, offers a delectable spread of special crab delicacies such as Baked Crab, Tandoori Crab, Butter Garlic Pepper Crab, et al. There is a selection of wines to go with it as well. Old timers would fondly remember it’s near iconic status in the Fort area. And now it is creating a wave of appreciation in the suburbs too. Its culinary proficiency has whiffed and wafted from its kitchens to all corners of not just Mumbai but perhaps the entire country. Seafood has become synonymous with Mahesh Lunch Home and there are innovations, events, festivals and an ever evolving menu that is as vast as the sea itself. Known for heavenly seafood, Mahesh Lunch Home was started by S.C.Karkera in 1977. Till date, its popularity has grown in leaps and bounds. The restaurant with brightly lit interiors, informal and friendly atmosphere has completed a silver jubilee. It is the first Manglorean cuisine restaurant in Mumbai serving home-style food which tempts its guests to come here again and again. The restaurant has witnessed many celebrity guests. It is famed for its crabs, prawn gassi and black promfret curries. Hotel City Point For those looking at networking over conferences or corporate meets, Hotel City Point at Dadar provides convenience with choice of rooms and suites perfect for an individual guest or a group. There is an array of fully air conditioned conference halls suitable for 15 to 225 guests/ participants, including arrangements for wedding receptions up to 500 guests. The corporate world has utilised the venue for marketing meets, training programmes or for Walk-in interviews, due to its ideal location. All the Banquet halls at Hotel City Point provide the ambience and décor for any occasion. The quality of food served has been appreciated by one and all. Assistance is provided on 24 X 7 basis; from computerized check-inns and check-outs to flight confirmations, foreign exchange, safe deposit locker, communication services and 24 hours wi-fi internet service. Pratap Lunch Home Pratap Lunch Home at Fort is another destination for food lovers, pioneering multi cuisine dining, with a sumptuous range of South Indian, North Indian, Mangalorean, Mughlai and Chinese dishes served up freshly every day. It blends choicest culinary delights with the finest ambience. Specialized dishes include Haryali Crab Meat, Crab Kalamiri Tandoori, Gassi Crab, Fish Tawa Fry, King Prawns Gassi, Pomfret Butter Pepper, King Prawns Chilly Roast, King Prawns in Burnt Garlic Sause, Seafood Biryani, Seafood Pot Rice, Chicken Gassi with Neer Dosa and King Prawns in Kung Pao Sauce. Golden Star Thali Golden Star Thali restaurant, opposite Charni Road station and at Bhandup is having a Navratri Rasoi Utsav till October 29, 2012, where you get one thali free against 10 paid thali coupons. Cuisine served at Golden Star comes from the cradles of Gujarat and Rajasthan. Every morsel brings to you their exquisite food and flavours. Sweets are served uninterrupted, with specialities being malai cham cham, ras malai, angoor rabdi, kesar puran polis, desi ghee jalebis, dry fruit sheera, gulab jamun etc. There are farsans galore like khasta kachori, dahi wada, chaat basket, papri chaat, assorted dhoklas, etc. Special vegetables include karela kashmir, dum aloo rajasthani, tindola sambharia, jodhpuri gutta, mevadi pulao, dry fruit batata, dal bati churma, etc. The price of one thali is Rs.340 inclusive of all taxes. Goa Portuguesa Mumbai’s Goa Portuguesa, Dakshin Culture Curry and Diva Maharashtracha are three globally awarded Restobars. CEO and master chef Deepa Suhas Awchat dishes out more than 300 jain/ veg/ non-veg unique, healthy, eclectic menu from the Indian peninsula featuring exotic signature dishes. Indulge in the mouth watering Grand Lunch Buffet Monday to Friday with delicacies from Goa, Maharashtra, South and North India along with a complimentary beer or mocktail from Rs.499 onwards. There is a 'buy 5 buffets get 1 free' special offer. The power lunch has veg meals at Rs. 299 and non-veg at Rs. 399. Conditions apply. Blue Grotto is a multi cuisine banquet hall serving South Indian, Maharashtrian, Goan ,Italian, Chinese and other world cuisine with audio visual equipment, attractive packages ideal for seminars, workshops, birthdays, parties and other celebrations.

Some food for thought Ethnic cuisine is the preferred option for those looking to celebrate or just bond over a meal

Some food for thought

Ethnic cuisine is the preferred option for those looking to celebrate or just bond over a meal

There was a time when Indians had just woken up to pizzas, burgers, wraps and rolls, with every desirable snack being American, Italian or Chinese. Be it a special menu for a party, a general evening snack, the Sunday brunch or the menu at a wedding it had to have either mushroom with melting cheese starters or French fries with a so and so dip to be a hit with the masses. As far as the elite crowds are concerned they boasted of having Thai, Mexican or Spanish dishes as a part of their meals on a regular basis. Now we find that things have taken a big u-turn in the food-circuit, with people preferring an ‘aloo chaat’ or the evergreen ‘pani puri’ for an evening snack. From ‘chhole bhature’ for the special Sunday meal or exotic kebabs as starters for a party; traditional Indian food has come back to the center stage. A very important part of this popularisation of Indian traditional cuisine is the Thali. From a time when thali was a term used for an economised menu in the local eateries and small restaurants, today the concept of has become quite popular as an upmarket item. Earlier, when a person ordered a thali or a half-thali (also known as a rice plate), we would presume that it was his way of trying to stretch his limited budget for the maximum possible meal within that amount. But today we have specialised eateries and restaurants that serve the thali. Be it Gujarati, Rajasthani, Konkani, South Indian or Punjabi version, a speciality thali from all the Indian regions is not just available, but with an ambience to match. Getting back to our roots and opting for an ethnic Indian experience is considered to be the ‘in’ thing today. It has all the exotic and snob appeal, yet it is a humble and cherished meal loved by people of all age groups. Until quite some time in the past, if you had an Indianised palate, it was considered a sign of being too rustic or unable to adapt to different cuisine. Now, it is quite the reverse. Any person who is not ready to have a thali or parathas with raita is looked down upon as someone who cannot enjoy good food or savour the burst of flavour to the fullest extent. The other major advantage with Indian food is that the experience is not limited to just the food itself. It’s an overall ambience that makes all the difference. At a typical ethnic themed restaurant you have all the works, from the tikka ceremony to dhol players and the charpoys that take your dining experience to a completely different level. Traditional Indian food that had since forever been restricted to family get-togethers is today the most preferred choice for parties, corporate events or dining out with friends. The major advantage offered by Indian cuisine is that it has something in it to offer to everyone; the vegetarians, the sea-food lovers or the meat eaters. It caters to those with a sweet tooth, those who love the spices, the ones on a diet or the ones wanting to add a few calories. Indians love their food and Indian food loves you back, with a spread of spices that are devoured by your taste buds these spices also give a lot of health benefits to your body. The innumerable advantages the cuisine offers to everyone makes it the most popular dining option today.

Moroccan cous cous salad

YOU’LL NEED
1 cup cous cous, cooked 1 tbsp spring onion 1 tbsp tomato, chopped Juice of half a lemon 2 black and 2 green olives, chopped. Fresh coriander leaves, chopped 1 tsp mint, chopped 1 dried apricot, chopped 1 pinch cumin powder Half tsp green chilli, chopped 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

METHOD
Put cous cous in a bowl (substitute with broken wheat if you can’t find it) and mix in the rest of the ingredients. Attack.

Turkish-style yoghurt dip with carrot sticks

YOU’LL NEED
250 grams yoghurt One clove of garlic, finely minced A glug of extra virgin olive oil A few mint leaves, torn A few dill leaves, finely chopped Half a teaspoon of lemon juice A pinch of crushed ajwain seeds Salt and pepper to season

METHOD
Hang the yoghurt in a muslin cloth, or place it on a strainer till all the water is drained. Transfer the yoghurt to a clean dry bowl. Add the garlic, lemon juice, mint, dill and ajwain. Season with salt and pepper, and finally incorporate the olive oil. Place in the fridge till ready to serve. Dig in with carrot sticks. TIP: Add roasted eggplant puree to make an eggplant version, chopped avocado to give it a Mexican touch or roasted chopped beetroot for extra colour.

Thai-style crab cakes with sweet chilli dipping sauce

YOU’LL NEED
300 gms crab meat Three eggs 1 stick lemongrass, finely chopped 1 large spring onion, finely chopped A quarter bunch fresh basil, finely chopped 2 fresh red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped Half inch ginger, peeled and finely chopped 2 limes, juiced Salt to taste 1 tsp fish sauce Two packets of breadcrumbs Refined sunflower oil
FOR THE SAUCE

Thai sweet chilli sauce, 1 lime, 1 tsp soya sauce, a few drops of fish sauce
METHOD
Put the crab meat into a mixing bowl and beat two eggs into it. Add the lemongrass, spring onion, basil, chilli, ginger, salt, fish sauce and lime juice to the mixture. Add a handful of breadcrumbs and mix everything gently. If the mixture is too loose, add another handful of breadcrumbs and continue to mix until the mixture holds together when shaped into a flat patty. Form the mixture into small flattish cakes, wetting your hands with water as you go. Lightly crumb the cakes on a bed of seasoned breadcrumbs, then put into the fridge to firm up for half an hour. Heat a few spoons of oil in a non-stick pan, once the oil is hot, add the crab cakes, and fry them in small batches, on medium heat, until beautifully golden crisp and fluffy on both sides. Drain the crab cakes on paper towels, then quickly mix together the dipping sauce ingredients and put into a serving bowl. Serve with the dipping sauce.

Breakfast is the first meal of the day. A nutritious breakfast not only nourishes the body, but also energises the mind. Here are some south Indian breakfast dishes which are light and healthy

MURUNGA ELAI ADAI (DRUMSTICK LEAF ADAI)

Breakfast is the first meal of the day. A nutritious breakfast not only nourishes the body, but also energises the mind. Here are some south Indian breakfast dishes which are light and healthy

DILL DOSA Preparation time :10 minutes Cooking time: 20 - 30 minutes Serves : 1 Ingredients: l ½ cup dill leaves l ¼ cup raw rice l ¼ cup tur dal l 2 tablespoon (tbsp) grated coconut l 1-2 green chillies l A small piece of ginger l 2 garlic pods l ¼ tsp(teaspoon) cumin seeds l 5-6 black pepper corns l A pinch of asafoetida l 1 small piece of jaggery l Salt l Oil Method: l Wash and soak the rice and tur dal for 2 hours. Add all the ingredients in a mixer and grind to a smooth batter. l Heat a non-stick tawa and smear it with some oil. When it is hot, pour one ladle of batter on it and spread it evenly to make a dosa. Serve hot with jaggery, chutney, molagaipodi, pickle or murabba. For kids, you can make small dosas like the one shown in the picture and top it with jam or honey. JAWAR KA UTTAPPA Serves: 1 Ingredients: l Jawar flour 1/2 cup l Rice flour 1/4 cup l Hot water 1 &1/2 cup l Green chillies chopped 1 tsp l Grated ginger 1 tsp l Chopped onions 1/2 onion l Coriander leaves 1/4 cup l Oil l Salt Method: l Mix the jawar flour, rice flour and salt. Add boiling water. Add chopped green chillies, ginger, onion and coriander leaves. l Heat tawa and pour one ladle of the batter. Make a uttapa. MURUNGA ELAI ADAI (DRUMSTICK LEAF ADAI) Preparation time: 15-20 minutes Cooking time: 20-25 minutes Serves: 1 Ingredients: l ¼ cup raw rice l ¼ cup red, boiled rice l ½ cup murunga elai (drum stick leaves) l Salt l Gingelly oil Method: l Wash and soak the rice for 5-6 hours. Grind smoothly like dosa batter. Add salt and keep it for 5-6 hours. Then add murunga elai and mix well. Heat a non-stick tawa and pour a ladle of batter on it, sprinkle one to two teaspoons of oil when it is cooked on one side. Flip it to cook the other side till it becomes crispy. Keep the flame low. Serve with chutney, molagaipodi, curd, pickle or sambar.

Published Date:  Oct 06, 2012