Year: 2013

Chicken Ghee Roast (Warning – It’s Red Hot!)

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Why am I giving you a recipe for a crazy-red-hot dish in the middle of summer? Have I lost my bonkers (and my taste buds)? Ahem ahem… that was a nice opening spiel, don’t you think? Now, getting down to business. If you think about it – all the ‘hottest’ food in the world comes from the ‘hottest’ places. Mexico, Indonesia, Andhra Pradesh, Nagaland…all famous for foods that send you running, to pack your tongue with ice! Logically, you would expect these people to be sipping on watermelon juice and eating a cucumber salad and not trying to replicate the external temperature assault, internally! So why do they do it? The wisdom of ages pours forth now (actually this is a result of being a closet trivia junkie!). Spicy food is your best bet to cool down. Capsaicin, the chemical in all spicy food is in cahoots with our central nervous system to help regulate the temperature in our body. It starts by increasing the blood circulation and dilating capillaries – resulting in more of …

Sattvic Food at Sattvam (Sadashivnagar, Bangalore)

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When you hear of a restaurant serving delicious vegetarian meals without the use of onion or garlic you are bound to be intrigued. When someone tells you that the restaurant is located in the upmarket Sadashivnagar area and serves ‘designer’ vegetarian fare – it piques your interest some more. And finally when you read that the restaurant not only serves vegetarian fare, but that all of it is Sattvic as well – the deal is sealed! The concept of Sattvic food is not new to me – all temples in India serve it as Prasad (food blessed by the Gods). The reason I used to frequent the Hanuman temple near my house, as a kid, was because of the yummy Prasad. (Food has always been my focus!) Sattvic food is referred to as a ‘yoga diet’ – something that leads to clarity and equanimity of mind, while also being beneficial to the body. So the diet is rich in fresh and unprocessed food. These tenets of Sattvic cooking are reflected in Sattvam, where they develop …

Baingan Bharta (Indian Spiced Aubergine/ Eggplant Mash)

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Baingan Bharta is something that I was introduced to seven years ago. (Basically, ever since I started working and it was de rigueur to have lunch in the office cafeteria!). The cafeteria food sucked. And day after day it was pure torture to let the undercooked, over spiced, all-round-sad food enter our mouths. I could have opted to take a lunchbox from home, but it was just too much work in the morning. (Besides, in those days I thought I was too cool for a lunch box!). So it was almost a godsend when a little Dhaba (highway or roadside restaurant; very popular in the North of India) opened up next to office. This was run by a Punjabi family who served home style meals at a modest price. (Which suited our pockets just fine!). They had a fixed menu written on a black board everyday and fixed quantities that would run out if you reached later than 1:30 pm. So we religiously moved our lunch break to 12:30pm and ensured we got the pick …

Break’First’ at Monkey Bar (Wood Street, Bangalore)

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So my favourite bar (like it was a secret!) in Bangalore is now serving Brekkie! And not just any brekkie but gourmet brekkie. We’re talking the whole nine yards! And of course I went there to stuff my face because breakfast is my favourite meal of the day. I like that fact that we can eat bacon and pancake syrup and fruit and chocolate and bread and ice cream – all in one meal and no one thinks that’s weird! See why it enjoys a special place in my heart? So Monkey Bar decided to help us kick start our weekends with some kick ass breakfast. The brekkie menu is large and divided into multiple sections to suit your weekend mood. Eggs – Check, Cereal – Check, Bacon – Check, French Toast – Check, Waffles – Check, Japanese Okonomiyaki – Check….What?!! That was not on your list? Phooey! So apart from the regular suspects you can even expect breakfast your mommy would be pleased to serve you (but with a MoBar twist) – Gujarati Handvo, …

Chingri Malai Curry (Bengali Prawn and Coconut Curry)

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Bengali food resonates with me on a deeper level even though I’m a pucca Southie. Maybe it’s the rice that bonds us (Bengali’s also eat rice with every meal!), or maybe my love for rosogullas and rasamalai’s have sweetened me towards them, or maybe it’s the fact that half the employees in my ex-company were Bengali! For whatever reason, I love Bengali food. The one thing that I always order in a Bengali restaurant (apart from their gorgeous desserts) is Chingri Malai Curry. Chingri means Prawns and Coconut is used as the base in this curry to give it the quintessential creaminess. This is the mecca of what a curry should taste like for me – Rich, spicy-sweet and comforting. There is this little Bengali restaurant in Indiranagar that serves this curry in a Tender Coconut with the tail of the Prawn sticking out. Just seeing it makes my heat beat faster! The curry also has pieces of tender coconut in it that I love nibbling on. Though I don’t think that’s really the authentic …

Lunch at Aloro, Crowne Plaza (Electronic City, Bangalore)

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Bangalore is really being kind to people who love food. The number of restaurants cropping up every day and the many cuisines that you can eat here are amazing. It’s no wonder that people are upping the ante and offering us patrons of good food more opportunities to indulge. The ‘Food Lovers Gourmet City’ event (click here) offers prix fixe menus from 31 of the city’s top restaurants for you to enjoy. It runs from 15th – 31st of March, so I’ve been blocking my calendar and trying out signature dishes of the city’s gourmet destinations at a VFM price point. I told you we Bangaloreans had it good! Aloro at the Crowne Plaza was never on my radar (how far is electronic city!!) till this event. The menu looked too good to pass up. So a couple of us girls decided to head out for lunch. (No, this was not a kitty party :P). Thankfully one of them decided to ferry us there and I didn’t have to turn into a raving abusive lunatic …

Conversations Over Coffee (The Serai, Chickmagalur)

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When The Serai invited eight bloggers to celebrate Woman’s Day at their lovely resort in Chickmagalur I did a double take. Really? I was swamped with work that week. I quickly asked for the names of the rest of the bloggers. I didn’t know anybody. (My interest was fading). They wanted me to come and spend two days getting fawned over and pampered. (Interest awakened). Have a look at the website, they insisted. I peeked into it reluctantly. (Wow, Desire generated). They called me back. There was a spa treatment involved, Will I be able to make it? (Resolve weakened). I cancelled my meeting. I was going to the Serai! We met at the Café Coffee Day Square on Lavelle road. (Serai and CCD are owned by the same parent company). After introducing ourselves and tucking into the breakfast at CCD, we got ourselves into a minivan and drove out of the city. It’s amazing how ten women who have never met before can talk till their jaws drop. No need for introductions, thank you …

What does Masterchef Australia and The Whitefield Baking Company have in common? – Kate Bracks!!!

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Masterchef Australia can be credited with starting a revolution that completely altered that way that anyone approaches food. It has within the span of three years turned the nation (and I mean India here) into a completely food obsessed one. Not that we were not connoisseurs of the good stuff already, but the appreciation and knowledge of a variety of cuisines and techniques definitely stems from there. The regular dal-chawal eating home was now attempting to get a perfect crust on their pie!  Dinner time (the holy thread that bonds us in an Indian family) was moved to an hour earlier, so that we could all sit down to watch Masterchef at 9:00 PM. Who ever heard of a food show being given a prime time slot? Masterchef Australia Season 3 was one of my favorite seasons.  I don’t think I missed even one episode. I knew each and every contestant by name and followed their escapades in the kitchen closely.  And Kate Bracks – Dessert Queen and  mother of three, took home the title …