Delightful Healthy Recipes

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.

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.

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."

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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,

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



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.