Clap, sing, shout

TUCK IN

Nutrient values per serving

Fat	Energy
0.2 gm.	81 cal.

प्रश्न : गेल्या आठवडय़ात आहारामधल्या अन्नघटकांबद्दल तुम्ही खूप छान माहिती सोप्या भाषेत दिलीत. आहार कसा घ्यावा किंवा जेवताना काय काळजी घ्यावी याबद्दल काही मार्गदर्शन करावे
- चैतन्य दाबके, सिडको, औरंगाबाद.
उत्तर : प्रत्येकाची जेवायची एक खास पद्धत, लकब किंवा खासियत असते. कुणी इतकं भरभर जेवतात की अक्षरश: जेवण एकदाचं ‘आटोपतात’, तर कुणी रवंथ केल्यासारखं निवांत जेवतात. कुणाचा प्रत्येक घास लहान असतो, तर काहीजण तोंड भरेल इतके मोठे घास घेतात म्हणजे बोकाणे भरतात. पोट गच्च भरेल इतकं जेवण घेणं तर नक्कीच चुकीचं आहे. आपण जे अन्न खातो, ते पोटात जाण्यापूर्वी आणि त्याचं सुलभतेनं पचन होण्यासाठी त्यावर काही प्रक्रिया होणं गरजेचं असतं. खाल्लेलं अन्न पोटात जाताना कशा अवस्थेत आहे, त्यावर त्याची पचनाची गती, स्थिती आणि परिणाम ठरतात. तुम्हाला आश्चर्य वाटेल, पण जेवण जेवण्याची पद्धत योग्य असेल तर जाडी कमी व्हायलाही मदत होते.
आहार घेणं ही गाडीमध्ये पेट्रोल भरण्याइतकी तांत्रिक बाब असू शकत नाही. कारण अन्नाचा संबंध फक्त पोटापुरता मर्यादित नसतो. आहारातून मिळणारं समाधान किंवा तृप्ती ही त्यातल्या जीवनसत्त्वांइतकीच किंबहुना थोडी जास्तच महत्त्वाची ठरते. म्हणून अन्न पोटात जाण्यापूर्वी त्याचा रंग, गंध आणि चव आपल्या मेंदूमध्ये जाण्याची व्यवस्था केली गेली आहे. मांसाहारींना कोल्हापूरचा तांबडा-पांढरा रस्सा, मालवणी फिश राइस प्लेट किंवा शाकाहारींना पुण्यातली बेडेकरांची मिसळ फक्त आठवली तरी तोंडाला पाणी सुटतं, कारण अन्नाचा मनाशी फार जवळचा संबंध आहे. अतिरेकी डाएट्स करणारे या अलौकिक समाधानाला मुकतात आणि म्हणून त्यातून अपेक्षित परिणाम साधत नाही.
जीवन करी जिवित्वा अन्न हे पूर्णब्रह्म। उदरभरण नोहे जाणिजे यज्ञ कर्म। या श्लोकात सांगितल्याप्रमाणे अन्न म्हणजे पोटाची खळगी भरण्यासाठी कसेही ढकलायचे पदार्थ नाहीत. पोटातल्या वैश्वानररूपी अग्नीला दिलेली ती पवित्र समिधा आहे. थोडक्यात, जेवणे ही एक कला आहे, एक शास्त्र आहे. काही सोप्या सूचना पाळल्या तर आहारातून पोटही भरेल, मनही तृप्त होईल आणि ते योग्य प्रकारे अंगीसुद्घा लागेल.
कितीही घाई असली तरी जेवण्यासाठी किमान १५-२० मिनिटं वेगळी ठेवावी. त्या वेळेत जेवणाव्यतिरिक्त इतर कोणतेही काम करणं, व्यावसायिक फोन करणं इत्यादी टाळावं. जेवायला बसताना मन आनंदी आणि शांत असावं. जेवताना वादविवाद, भांडणं करू नयेत किंवा मानसिक ताण वाढेल असे विषय टाळावेत. दिवसाकाठचं किमान एक जेवण कुटुंबातल्या सगळ्यांनी एकत्र घ्यावं आणि त्या वेळी हास्यविनोद, एकमेकांशी प्रेमाचे, आपुलकीचे संवाद करावेत. जेवताना मुलांच्या अभ्यासाची प्रगती, बायकांचा खर्चिकपणा, नवऱ्यांच्या पाटर्य़ा असे वादग्रस्त विषय टाळावेत! तसंच टीव्हीवरच्या सीरियल्सही पाहू नयेत, कारण त्यातल्या बहुतेक मानसिक ताण वाढवणाऱ्याच असतात!
जेवताना प्रत्येक घास लहान असावा. ‘प्रत्येक घास ३२ वेळा चावून खा’ असे पूर्वी आपल्याकडे म्हणायचे, ते अत्यंत शास्त्रीय आहे. तो जास्तीतजास्त वेळा चावल्यामुळे त्यामध्ये भरपूर लाळ मिसळते आणि त्याची पेस्ट तयार होते. लाळेमध्ये काही पाचक रस असतात, जे अन्नाच्या विघटनाला मदत करतात. घास न चावताच गिळला तर आतडय़ांमध्ये त्याचे विघटन व्हायला जास्त वेळ लागतो. शिवाय घास चावताना जबडय़ाला व्यायाम होतो तो वेगळाच! लाळमिश्रित आणि चावून बारीक केलेलं अन्न पोटात गेल्यावर त्याचं पचन जास्त सुलभ, प्रभावी आणि लवकर होतं. अशा पद्धतीने जेवणाऱ्यांना गॅसेस आणि बद्धकोष्ठाचा त्रास सहसा होत नाही. जेवताना पाणी पिणं बरोबर की चूक, यावर दुमत आहे. पण एक नक्की की अन्न कोरडं नसावं. जेवणात रसभाज्यांचा किंवा वरण, आमटी यांचा समावेश असावा. अन्न ताजं, शेगडीवर गरम केलेलं आणि सात्त्विक असावं. मायक्रोवेव्हमध्ये गरम केलेल्या आणि शेगडीवर किंवा चुलीवर गरम केलेल्या अन्नात फरक पडतो असा माझा अनुभव आहे. घरातल्या फ्रीजला मी शिळ्या अन्नाचं कोठार म्हणते. आणि ते संपवायचा ठेका बहुतेक वेळा घरातल्या स्त्रियांनीच घेतलेला असतो. एक वेळ चार घास अन्न कमी शिजवा, पण शिळं अन्न खाणं टाळा. शक्य झालं तर फ्रीजचा आकार लहानात लहान ठेवा, म्हणजे शिळ्या अन्नाचा निचरा आपोआप केला जाईल.
रोजच्या आहारामध्ये सर्व चवींचा समावेश असावा. आपल्या एखाद्या समारंभात पंक्तीला जे ताट मांडतात, त्यात डाव्या बाजूला आणि उजव्या बाजूला काही पदार्थ हमखास असतात. त्यामागेही खूप शास्त्रीय विचार केला गेला आहे. त्यात मीठ, लिंबू, लोणचं, खीर, पूरण, साजुक तूप, ताक या पदार्थामधून खारट, आंबट, तिखट, गोड या चवी मिळतात. मिठातून क्षार, लिंबातून व्हिटॅमिन सी, खीर किंवा पुरणातून साखर, तुपातून स्निग्ध आणि ताकातून पचनाला मदत करणारे बॅक्टेरिया पोटात जातात. पूर्वी जेवणानंतर त्रयोदशगुणी विडा खायची पद्धत होती. त्यातले बहुतेक पदार्थ पचनाला मदत करणारे असतात. रोजच्या जेवणात या पदार्थाचा समावेश करणं बिनखर्चाचं आणि सहज शक्य आहे. यामुळे आहार अधिकच समाधानकारक आणि संतुलित होईल.

The quintessential wine bar

So many folks have opened a wine bar in this country right before going bust that it has become the gastronomic version of the Japanese self-gutting suicide tradition of Seppuku! The fortunes of restaurateurs who have otherwise enjoyed success seem to nose-dive from the time they inaugurate their take on a ‘wine bar’. What baffles me is that how can something so simple remain so elusive? Here are a few things that do NOT constitute a wine bar: 1. A traditional wine bar focuses on wines. A solitary spirit and a few brews may be splashed on for non-oenophiles who accompany wine lovers to the bar but such people are discouraged to visit. Bigger discouragement to wine lovers is when beers and blended malts are priced cheaper than a glass of an average wine. 2. Formal dining is not needed and a wine bar is all about the sip, and tasting. Food is there to provide a palate refresher, something to accompany the wine, not vice versa. A wine bar is not a restaurant. What most establishments missed in India was that they were restaurants trying to brand themselves as wine bars. 3. Regular glassware and equipment: If it is a true wine bar, they will have a separate washing machine for glasses, special detergent, service decanters, storage equipment, et al. A visit to the cellar or the area behind the bar should be as much of a turn on a BMW. Anything to everything that can valorise a wine should be stocked, and utilised. 4. Standardised menu: While the best restaurants pride themselves on a menu that hasn’t change since it was first conceived, such can spell doom for a wine bar. To identify consumer likings and trends and then to adapt the wine list accordingly with options aplenty by-the-glass is the only way to bestow longevity upon a wine bar. Abroad many wine bars easily meet these criteria. In India, the only place I have seen so far that is getting it as-close-to-right-as-possible is the Vinoteca in Mumbai, run by Sula. The wine list appears a tad restrictive but it has enough options for a casual evening of non-ponderous sipping, the tapas-like snacks are good accompaniments, the ambience is tasteful and non-intrusive but the best part is the absolutely superb pricing! The music is fairly hip (they had Eminem on) and I didn’t mind that although my company seemed to find it too non-wine-friendly (and then they call me a wine snob!)

The single malt gets married to a spicy kebab

It’s a marriage made in India, for those who have acquired a taste for single malts but still love their Indian accompaniments to whisky,

For me, it was somewhat schizophrenic to begin with. One moment I was transported to the cool Scottish highlands of Inverness from where my Dalmore single malt had come, with traces of the sherry wood cask in which it had matured for 12 years. The next moment I was yanked back to my native land with the spicy aftertaste of Tala Gosht, boneless mutton marinated with ginger-garlic and roasted on a griddle. The pairing of single malt, which tends to have distinctively sharper flavours than blended whisky, with Mughlai kebabs, which can be equally attention-seeking, is not for the faint of heart. But, however counter-intuitive it might seem, this is the order of the day as Indians acquire a taste for single malts while retaining their preference for the spicy meats and paneer they like to have with their whisky. Not for them the buttery broccoli, which would be a perfectly submissive partner to a feisty malt. Pragmatic as ever, ITC Grand Central’s Kebabs & Kurries paired up whisky connoisseur Sandeep Arora with Chef Ishmeet Singh to try and make this seemingly incompatible marriage of a single malt with a spicy kebab work. The result was a meal which did have its ups and downs but nary a boring moment. The whisky progressed from a 12-year-old to a smoother 15-year-old before finishing up with the rich mellowness of the Dalmore Gran Reserva. Side by side, the food made its way from the aforementioned Tala Gosht and a Hara Kebab to the main course of Gosht Hari Mirch and Paneer Khurchan, before cooling down with a saffron and pista infused kulfi. Oh, and in between, there was the Kebabs & Kurries signature dish of Gosht Dum Pukht Biryani, which stood alone without a malt by its side. The strong aroma of rice in the biryani would overpower any whisky, and so it must remain unmarried, Arora explained to me. On Chef Ishmeet Singh’s part, the trick was to pick kebabs and dishes with a Peshawari origin, which are milder without garam masala or perfumes like ittar. Across town, another fine dining place, Oberoi’s Ziya, was playing host to a similar marriage between classy Glenfiddich single malts and some attractive Indian delicacies. Twelve, 15 and 18-year-old Glenfiddichs were followed by a 21-year-old Balvenie. Here at Ziya, sous chef Renji Raju was happy to give a European touch to some of the food pairings. So although he began with a vigorous Punjabi dhaba-style chicken masala to go with the youngest Glenfiddich, he had a whiskyed truffle for the grand old Balvenie. In between, there was a smoked bevda prawn, and yes bevda does mean ‘drunkard’, because this dish is whisky-flambéed. For the main course, there was Tandoori Raan with a difference: a Rogan Josh sauce came with it and the Raan was braised with spinach and pine nuts to make it milder than the traditional one. Here too, Chef Renji did away with the usual finishing touches of garam masala which would have upset the single malt. When pressed to admit the unnaturalness of this pairing, however much you toned down the spicing, Renji simply pointed out that people here like their food spicy, and now they like their single malts too. As for me, I had by now figured out how to manage my schizophrenic responses. I knew just how much of a gap to leave between a sip of smoky malt and a bite of spicy kebab. As long as they give each other a little space, there’s no reason they can’t live happily together ever after.

Like em white, red or fruity?’

Has never been a big fan of wine, but enjoys the drink when concocted with fruits and liquor in a chilled, refreshing glass of Sangria

Wine’s always been a pain in the head for me. The bitter taste, the dry feeling it leaves in its wake and a headache every time I’ve had too much of it makes it difficult for me to go beyond the occasional glass at most places. Discovering sangria, or in other words a wine punch, was a revelation. The fruits bring about mellowness and takes away some of the wine’s bite — a taste which is more to my liking. It helps that the sangria culture is mushrooming. The Grand Hyatt’s restaurant Fifty Five East, for example, has started offering sangria as a part of the daily buffet. The number of cuisines offered alongside can result in a head-spin though, the drink coupled with everything from Thai, sushi and Lebanese to Indian and western food. What made the experience really worth it is the sangria itself. It made sense starting with white wine and then moving up. There were three white sangrias on offer: one that mixed white wine with peach, one that mixed it with pear, and the other with green apple. The red sangria, on the other hand, mixed red wine with melon. These are different from the traditional sangria, which mixes red wine with orange juice and brandy-plus-rum. “We have the traditional sangria as part of the menu, in case people want to go for the tried-and-tested, but we have our own concoctions on offer,” says Julien Lloyd, assistant director, F&B, Grand Hyatt. The number of people opting for sangria from the menu has gone up at the hotel, even though it plays second fiddle to the more traditional cocktails like margarita on Sundays, when sangria isn’t necessarily a part of the buffet. “However, sangria sales on Sundays are almost identical to wine sales. People probably take to sangria faster; wine is more acquired taste,” says Lloyd. Most restaurants, including Fifty Five East, stick to their own sangria concoctions largely. I insisted on trying my red sangria with green apple at the restaurant, and it turned out to be a concoction I enjoyed the most, much to the amusement of the bartender. “The sangria culture is still work-in-progress. There’s no one perfect concoction — it largely depends on taste,” says Lloyd. MIX AND MATCH The difference in taste between red and white sangria is more or less the difference between red and white wine itself, explains Sheldon Pereira, the bar manager at F Lounge and Diner. “Red sangria, like the wine itself, is a heavier drink. Your choice of sangria would largely depend on the kind of wine you prefer,” says Pereira, adding that red wine mixes best with apple, orange and pear, while white goes best with kiwi, litchi and pineapple. When making the drink at home, you can change the kind of red wine according to your preference too. sangria mixed with merlot, for example, will be on the fruitier side, while a cabinet sauvignon makes Sangria peppier, says Sheldon. Cecilia Oldne, head of international business at Sula Vinoteca, likes the menu to not stick to any such rule though. While listing out the essentials to make a wine punch tasty and fun, she makes it clear that the drinker “shouldn’t be afraid to experiment.” Grape, orange, pineapple, litchi and guava juices can be mixed interchangeably with both red and white sangria, she says. Oldne’s personal favourite, though, is a sparkling sangria, not a concoction available at most other places. “Sparkling wine tastes great with orange, apple, watermelon, pomegranate seeds and pear. The drink’s flavour keeps changing through the year too, with the wine being mixed with whatever fruit’s available in the season.” Oldne talks of sangrias with much passion, at one point calling it “fun and uncomplicated” like she’s affectionately referring to an old romance. My own affair with sangria is just about getting started. DO TRY THIS AT HOME Get together these elements: lA bottle of (cheap) red wine lA 7up, Sprite or another sparkling lemon drink lA glass of liquor (ideally brandy, whiskey or cointreau) lFruit punch comprising of orange, apple, pear lSugar to taste Dip the fruits in brandy overnight. Mix with red wine and a dash of Sprite. Chill and serve. Alternatively, mix and match the wine with other fruits of choice fizzy drink.