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Old Fashioned Carrot Cake

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If someone told me a couple of years ago, that I’d be making a carrot cake at home and polishing it off with joy, I would have guffawed. First of all Carrots Cakes are so old fashioned. It reminds me of somebody’s grandmother baking it and inviting her bridge friends over for tea. I don’t really remember ever ordering it myself at the local bakery or even trying to make it at home. If I was offered Carrot Cake at a friend’s place I would vehemently refuse a slice. A Cake with veggies in it was clearly not my idea of dessert.

 

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Porcini Mushroom Risotto

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Let’s face it – porcini mushrooms are expensive. It’s not something that finds its way into my grocery list AT ALL. But there are odd days (when the salary account has been credited) that one is inclined to feel generous. So I picked up a teeny tiny bottle of it for half a thousand rupees. When coming up with an idea to use it judiciously – a Porcini Mushroom Risotto was a no brainer. The mushrooms would lend themselves nicely to being slowly rehydrated while cooking the risotto and the flavor and color would permeate the stock. And to be fair, just half a cup of Porcini mushrooms is more than enough to make that risotto praise worthy.
Cooking risotto is like barbequing something – you have to hang around. The stock has to be poured in ladle by ladle while the rice absorbs the liquid and gets plump. And you need to use your intuition and your tasting spoon to know when it’s ready. Lucky for you, I use a fail-safe risotto recipe that has consistently given me perfectly cooked risotto time and again. If you want a grain that holds its shape, is glossy, creamy and luxurious – you’ve come to the right place.


Porcini Mushroom Risotto
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Serves: 4
What you need:
2 Cups Risotto Rice (Arborio/ Carnaroli – I prefer the latter)
½ cup Dried Porcini Mushrooms
1.25 Litre/ 5 cups Chicken/ Vegetable Stock (keep warm)
2 tsp Olive Oil
¼ cup Butter
1 Onion, finely chopped
3 Garlic cloves, crushed
¾ cup Dry white wine
75 gms Freshly Grated Parmesan
2 Tbsps freshly grated Parmesan to serve
Salt and Ground Black Pepper

What to do:
Heat the stock in a pan, and leave on simmer till needed. Drop the Porcini mushrooms in the stock and let them sit in the liquid.
Rinse the rice once in cold water and drain.
Heat the olive oil and half the butter in a large pan and gently saute the chopped onion and crushed garlic for 5-6 mins or until soft. Toss in the rinsed rice and stir to coat all the grains in the oil. You will notice the grains becoming slightly translucent around the edges. Lift the porcini mushrooms from the stock in a slotted spoon and add to the rice. Now pour in the white wine and cook until it has been absorbed. Keep the flame medium to low for the rest of the cooking process.
Add a ladle full of hot stock now. Cook stirring until all the stock has been absorbed. Gradually add in the remaining stock, a ladle at a time and wait till it has been absorbed by the rice before repeating the process. Halfway through the stock – the rice will be 50% cooked. Now add in the half the Parmesan cheese and continue adding the stock a ladle at a time. Keep stirring.
When the risotto is creamy and the grains are still tender but al dente (I actually bit into a grain of rice to see that the center had an uncooked dot – perfection) add in the remaining butter and parmesan. This is where the grains get all dreamy and glossy. Now season with salt and pepper and remove the pan from the heat. Cover and leave for 3-4 mins before serving.
Top with some more Parmesan and chives and you have yourself an absolutely five-star worthy main course.

Weekday Hunger Pangs @ Dalma

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My blog might be replete with posts of eating out at fancy places but trust me that’s restricted to once or twice a week. The rest of the times (ok, I do eat out a lot) are confined to no-frills places with simple but satisfying meals. A restaurant that sees me going back a couple of times every month, ever since I moved to Koramangala, is the Odiya restaurant called Dalma. I was first introduced to the secrets of this place by an Odiya colleague who insisted I try their absolutely scrumptious Rasagullas. After listening to (in length) the story of how the rosagulla actually originated in Odisha and how the Bengali’s usurped this sweet, made it whiter and more spongy and popularized it as their own, I was more than intrigued to taste the original one. And so one fine day, a couple of years ago I stepped into the building at the Titan Eye signal that declares in bold red font – Dalma, tasteful Odishan cuisine.
Orissa and West Bengal are located next to each other on the map and people might find quite a few similarities in the cuisine of these two states. But similarities does not mean they are identical and you will create the biggest verbal battle if you even imply that to a Bengali or an Odiya. However since I’m not either and this is an independent blog, I can tell you that they both like to deep fry stuff, they both call cutlets or croquettes – chop, they both love rice more than rotis, they both adore fish and mutton over other meats and they both like a little bit of sweet in all their dishes and of course they both love their rasagullas!

 

Don’t be put off by the rundown building, or the slightly derelict interiors. The crowds that throng this place, day and night are a fair indication of its popularity and authenticity. Besides, I always think slightly lived in places have so much more character than ones with snazzy, spotless interiors! There are two clearly demarcated sections – Non AC and AC/Family hall. Clearly the AC section is more popular not because they keep the AC on, but because it is cleaner and well lit! The menu is divided into Starters, Main course and Dessert. They offer a decent vegetarian selection but the non-vegetarian are going to be thrilled to find Chicken, Mutton, Fish, Prawn and Crab delicacies listed! Over three years I’ve tried quite a few things on the menu but will focus on what I ate in my last outing to give you a feel of the cuisine.
I generally order the Prawn Pakoda (Rs. 85) or the Chicken Pakoda (Rs. 75) as a starter. Both are generally coated in a light chilli spice mix and batter fried. I especially recommend the Prawn Pakoda which offers 6 pieces of succulent golden fried medium prawns. This time however, I choose to go with their Baigan Talla (Rs.50). Thick slices of Aubergine, coated with red chilli powder and then batter fried like a bajji. They serve it with ketchup but I strongly suggest you resist the temptation to bastardize it.

Keep an eye on the hand written board at the entrance, for an idea of the day’s special. Pomfret Masala Fry rings special bells in my head and I just HAD to get it. I was really skeptical of the size of the fish, but the waiter in his broken English and Hindi-Oriya assured me it would be bigger than my hand. My hand is fairly small, but it’s still a reasonable size for a pomfret costing 200 bucks! The fish came deep fried to a fiery red crisp but retained a plump juicy interior. The casually scattered onion rings, tomato slices and coriander provided the necessary drama. Ask him for a wedge of lemon to squeeze over the fish – it definitely makes it special.

I generally eschew the main courses and order the Thali with a few sides, but Arv is partial to the Mutton Kara (Rs.190) here. Very similar to the Bengali Kosha Mangsho (I said SIMILAR), it is a dark, thick and rich masala coated lamb to be eaten with hot Luchhi (Puri) or steamed rice. I personally enjoy it with the Puri, but pretty much can’t eat anything for the next two meals – it’s that heavy! The portion size is reasonable for a single person maincourse with rice, but if you are going to share, definitely get another starter/ maincourse.

Coming to my standard order at Dalma – their Veg Thali. At Rs.95 it is an unbeatably wholesome and homely meal. The items in the Thali vary on a day to day basis, but the kind of dishes remain the same. You will always have a portion of steamed rice, a dry vegetable, a greens stir fry, a vegetable curry, a chatni (sweet chutney), the Dalma (dal) and finally a payesh (sweet). Dalma, after which the restaurant is named is a comfort food for the Oriyas. The lentils are cooked along with various vegetables in season (notably pumpkin, brinjal, squash, potato) and seasoned with Panch potona (five-spice mix from Orissa), hing and dry red chilies. If there ever was a one-pot meal, this would be it. You can also order the Mutton/ Prawn/ Crab Thali (Rs.190) or the Chicken/ Fish Thali (Rs.150) and make a quick meal out of it on a busy day.
Another popular Thali with the Oriyas at Dalma, is the Pakhala Thali (Rs.130). Instead of the steamed rice, you get a big bowl of rice fermented in buttermilk, flavored with cumin and mint leaves. Apparently eating Pakhala, prevents heatstroke and I can imagine it garnering favour in the 40°C heat of Orissa.


The restaurant has a whole list of sweet treats available to finish the meal. Most of it finds it roots in Chhena (ricotta like cheese). You will always have the Chenna Poda (Rs.30) available and pretty much recommended as a must try by the waiters. I however find it insanely rich and choose instead to eat their sublime Rosagullas (Rs.10 for small, Rs.20 for big). They make a fresh batch everyday and if you walk in for lunch you will still find them warm. They are soft, spongy and have just the right amount of sweetness to them. They might not be florescent white like your Bengali rosagullas but the taste is so much more luxurious. Sigh…there have been days I have strolled into Dalma just to polish off a few and head back home in sugary bliss.
Dalma makes you feel like you are having a home cooked meal. At Rs.60, their weekday mini thalis are an excellent option for office goer’s vis-à-vis the food court meals. And for those days where nothing but dal and rice will cut it, but even making that seems like a tedious affair – you always have your friendly neighborhood restaurant serving ‘Tasteful Odishan cuisine’.
DALMA
37, 100ft Road, (after Titan Eye near the Signal)
6thBlock, Koramangala, Bangalore – 34.
Ph: +91 80 41660921
Timings: Lunch 12:00 – 4:00 PM and Dinner 7:30 – 11:30 PM
Cost: Rs. 500 for a meal for two.
Parking: Some space for bikes and for one car.

Easy Grilled Chicken with Pasta

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The grill pan is one of my favorite kitchen treasures. It lets me (almost) replicate the look and taste of an outside grill, right on my stove-top. I’m all for shortcuts and making life easier, so you well know how this fits into my lifestyle 😉 Another thing that makes life easier is ready-made sauces – for the life of me, I can’t imagine slow simmering some BBQ sauce over 12-14 hours! I have better things to do, like read a juicy cookbook or go grocery shopping for exciting ingredients! Now, there’s two kinds of grocery shopping I indulge in. The first one is running to the local kirana store (doubles up as exercise) for curry leaves or a loaf of bread and the second is where I make a huge list and plan an exciting day at a large and well stocked supermarket. (yes, I’m sad like that).
Foodhall @ 1MG Road, has been a regular haunt to pick up all things interesting – wasabi paste…check, gnocchi…check, tarragon vinegar…check, Ras-El-Hanout…check, an elephant…check (ok, just checking to see if you’re paying attention!). So when I received a little hamper from Foodhall, I was pretty thrilled – more ammunition for my kitchen! I wanted to act all Master-cheffy and do a mystery box challenge, but we both must agree that Grilled Chicken and Pasta sounds pretty basic. We however jazz it up by using the red chilli, apricot and rosemary sauce and a twisty coloured pasta. Not so basic anymore huh? 😛 But honestly, repeatable and easy recipes are what I always bookmark and this one finds pride of place in that list. Let’s get cooking…

 

Easy Grilled Chicken and Pasta
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Serves: 4
What you need:
400 gms skinless Chicken Breast
400 gms Pasta (use the multi-coloured ones for more pizzaz)
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
½ cup Mama Africa’s Red Chilli, Apricot and Rosemary Sauce
Salt and coarsely ground pepper for seasoning
1 large Onion
6 Garlic cloves
2 Tbsp Jalapenos, chopped
2 Tbsp Butter, unsalted
1 cup Chicken stock
2 cups Milk
150 gms Cheddar Cheese, grated
½ cup Cilantro, chopped
A grill Pan
A basting brush – I use a silicone one

What to do:
Wash and pat dry the chicken breasts. Flatten them with a mallet. Season with salt and coarsely ground pepper. Heat a grill pan and brush the pan with olive oil. When the pan is almost smoking hot, place the chicken breasts on the grill pan. Lower the heat to medium and cook for 5 mins (stick to the time) on each side. (Note: Don’t move the chicken around once you put it down on the grill – you want those beautiful grill marks). This is one of the easiest ways to grill chicken and add the much needed protein to most of your meals.
To jazz the grilled chicken in this recipe – brush the chicken with the red chilli, apricot and rosemary sauce and place back on the grill for about a minute on each side. The sauce should stick to the chicken but not burn. Transfer the chicken to a plate – cover with foil and let it rest.
In the meantime, place a pot of water to boil. Salt the water and cook the pasta till al-dente. Follow packet instructions for time.
In a large saucepan, add the oilve oil and saute the onion and garlic over a medium flame. Now toss in the jalepenos. Now add in the butter and let it melt. Lower the flame and add the flour. Cook for 1-2 mins. Now whisk in the chicken stock. The sauce will start to thicken. Add in 1 cup of Milk, whisk to ensure there are no lumps. Add in the remaining milk and whisk well. Let this sauce come to a boil before you toss in the grated cheese. Lower the heat and let it melt into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper and the chopped cilantro. Add the cooked pasta along with 1-2 Tbsps of the pasta water to the sauce. Mix gently to coat the pasta.
You can plate the dish in two ways. 1. Dish up the pasta on a plate and lay a whole breast of chicken on top of it. Or 2.Slice the grilled chicken breast on the diagonal into smaller pieces and mix into the pasta.  Either way, this is one completely satisfying meal!

Of fat Baos and thin Ramen @ The Fatty Bao

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Ok, so the whole of Bangalore knows about The Fatty Bao already – even though they very sneakily opened without an official ‘I want all the P3 types at my launch party’ party. The crowds have been trickling in from the word go and even though Bangalore is a sucker for new places – this one seems to be running on more than just novelty. The Olive Beach and Monkey Bar team has given Bangalore another enviable establishment that not only puts food first, but also serves it up with style. Of course The Fatty’s style is quirky, fun, slightly eccentric and casual. The approach to casual however, is never casual with Chef Manu Chandra. As soon as you walk up (or take the elevator) to the 3rdfloor, you know that the seemingly disparate elements still tie in to form a cohesive space. I’m thinking Kung Fu Panda, meets acid-tripping-hippie, meets kid-on-candy’s bedroom, meets Asian tea house! (Don’t ask me where I get my aesthetic!) You can either choose to eat in la-la-land or head up to the rooftop bar. Both areas pay homage to the ‘garden’ part of Bangalore and you can enjoy your meals gazing at the tree canopy. Let’s just say I like to dine inside during the day and head over to the rooftop during sundown – after all we must make use of our fabulous weather, no?

 

The décor might be a little lesson for design students (in a good way!) but what we really want to focus on is the food. The eponymous restaurant clearly wants to be famous for one thing – it’s pillowy soft Baos. (Ok, maybe it’s Ramen as well, because Manu is supposed to be a Ramen aficionado – but let’s admit it, Fatty Ramen doesn’t really have the same ring to it as Fatty Bao!). For those who don’t know what Baos are, Wikipedia does a decent enough job of explaining it, but Fatty serves the open faced variety – almost like a sandwich. I’ve tried three of the six on offer, but I could make love to the Char Siu Bao. (Sorry Arv, we all have our quirks!). The BBQ Pork belly is all kinds of exquisite and the Hoisin sauce just adds that sweet magic that pork seems to love. Green Apple Kimchi (I know!) adds a tangy crunch and balances all that heaviness. Not that I would ever complain! These come two to a portion and I generally end up eating both myself. Just saying.
You have some pretty reasonably priced rolls like Asparagus Tempura & Cream Cheese and Spicy Tuna Tartare – so all those California Roll loving fiends, will be a happy bunch. The dumplings are a throwback to the ones at LTO and the Shrimp & Pork Har Gow, the Beef & Jalepeno Gyoza and the Duck with Hoisin and Spring Onion Sheng Jian Bao are my picks. (Yes, I’ve pretty much eaten through their menu!)
Apart from rolls and dumplings the Small Plates are all the rage at Fatty (so are the kitty party aunties) and you have quite a selection to contend with. The Brie Tempura is my favorite rendition of fried cheese! I just wish they wouldn’t be so stingy with the plum sauce. I get that small dots of sauce on the plate look a lot more fancy than a big blob, but substance over looks Ok? Okay? Oookaay?
After saying all that, it does put me to shame that I ordered the Vietnamese Sugarcane Chicken, just because I like how it looked on the neighboring table. Sue me. Pretty pedestrian (clearly I’m talking about it from a Vietnamese’s point of view 😛 ) but the sugarcane sticks are a fun way to eat a chicken meatball, if any. The Duck Pizza was another one of those experiments that I wanted to be a part of. Considering it’s notoriously difficult to cook duck just so – a tortilla base with shredded duck, crispy duck skin crumble, plum sauce, spicy mayonnaise and togarashi sounded ambitious. The final product was a nacho like (ok masala papad like) construction with fun flavors, but I couldn’t detect any crispy duck skin. My duck loving friend however grabbed the plate and polished it off – so it does satisfy some demographic. Every other writer and blogger worth their salt has spoken about the fabulous Salmon Carpaccio – so I won’t waste my breath here. I just want to say that it might come out looking fancier than it should, if Manu himself slices the sashimi. 😛 #True Story 1.

Now coming to the second thing on the menu that’s become my standard order – The Fatty Bao PB&J. No, this is not the Elvis version, but I’m pretty sure he would have swapped his own version for this, in a heartbeat. Of course I speak with ultimate authority on the topic, because the trend these days is to assume what a dead person would have said/ or liked/ or wanted. (This is in no way implicating our religious leaders and their dictum’s but then again – this is a food blog and no one should really take me seriously. Exit Plan A in action).
Sorry for deviating from the encomium but I’m talking about the Fatty PB&J – Twice cooked Pork belly with Mustard Miso Jam. (because cooking it once doesn’t garner the gourmet vote :P). The striated meat and fat form a perfect place for the mustard miso jam to spread its goodness. If you had any doubt that this place has a secret pact with the devil, this savory-sweet-porky square will lay it to rest.

Once you stop going crazy with the small plates, you will eventually reach the Ramen page like I did. Since we’re not cool like New York, Tokyo or Barcelona to have our own Ramen houses, Fatty Bao doubles up to give us solace. The Chasu Ramen is popular with bacon brains like me and has the most flavorful broth. With Pork stock, bacon, braised pork belly, bean sprouts, marinated soft boiled egg and scallions – it packs in quite a punch. Mine also had sweet corn this time and it didn’t make any difference either way. A lighter,daintier version is the Seafood Ramen with grilled Seafood, Black Pepper Ramen and Crispy Prawn head.  Or you could go Via Malaysiaand order the coconut broth with kaffir lime, chilli, lemon grass, galangal and basil. Apparently the broth for most Ramens is simmered for 14-18 hours and last I heard, they tried making the noodles in-house. So here’s my verdict on the Ramen – I much prefer a stronger flavored broth and thicker, chewier noodles. But in a land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king and I dutifully bow to the Fatty Ramen’s efforts.

The Nonya Seafood curry with Torch Ginger Flowers was finally ordered last week. Every other time I have been denied this dish due to lack of some ingredient. (I have also got denied the Asparagus and Bacon Fried Rice on numerous occasions due to lack of fresh asparagus..duh!) It’s a lovely turmeric curry with little sides of roasted peanuts, fried onions, lemon and satay paste. I looked in vain for the torch ginger flower but didn’t find any – maybe because I was looking for something that resembled a lily! (I later googled it and realized that Torch Ginger Flowers are a key ingredient in Nonya cusine to mask the strong smell of fish. The tiny red ginger bud is thinly shredded to release a floral, grassy fragrance with citrus notes and a hint of pepper).

Dessert. It must be had. Especially because I know what their talented pastry chef is capable of creating. The Mango Panacotta is the star – beautifully plated Mango Panacotta (that clears the wobble test), with tapioca pearls, Passion Fruit, Raspberry Meringue & Mango Chilli Cilantro Salsa. A pity really, because they didn’t have it the last time I visited with a camera and hence I cannot offer you any voyeuristic pleasure.
The Warm Fig and Candied Ginger Pudding sounded all Asian and comforting at the same time, but was the least favorite. If anyone has tried Rava Prasad during puja, you will understand our reluctance to give it its due. Luckily there’s always a Lemon Tart to tantalize your taste buds and this one is bang on. Lemon Curd layered with a light lemon mousse, almond cake, Orange Mascarpone & Praline Crumbs – it tastes as pretty as it reads.

The drinks menu at Fatty covers a good ten pages, so your need for a tipple is taken care of as well. Just remind the waiter to make you a strong cocktail, because frankly, it costs the same for a light one! (P.S. That’s how they roll. #True Story 2). I just order a Gin and Tonic and pretty it up with a wedge of lemon these days. Or I get a pot of Lapsang Souchong and proceed to act all dainty whilst I’ve just burnt my mouth with the hot tea. #True Story 3.
Fatty does most of us a favor and bans  disallows kids in the evenings. And they are crazy booked on all days for lunch and dinner – so call in advance for a reservation and pray that the kitty gang hasn’t usurped the best seats in the house. Unless of course, you’re part of the kitty gang and I just upset you. Oops.


THE FATTY BAO – ASIAN GASTRO BAR
610, 3rd Floor, 12th Main,
Off 80 feet Road,
Indiranagar,
Bangalore – 560008.
Ph: +91 80 44114499
Timings: Lunch 12:00 – 3:30 PM and Dinner 7:00 – 11:30 PM
Cost: Rs.2800/-++ for a meal for two, including one drink

Restaurant Week India 2014 and Republic of Noodles

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September means Citibank Restaurant Week India!  A whole week of ‘food glorious food’ and tough decisions (so many places to try, so little time). I was invited for a preview dinner at one of the participating restaurants and chose Republic of Noodles. In all honesty, it was not my first choice but the world works in mysterious ways and I’m actually glad I went there last night. After Indian food, I think Asian food is something that tickles my palate – the complexity of flavors never ceases to amaze me.
Republic of Noodles is located at the Lemon Tree Premier on St.Johns Road. Started in Goa in 2007, this award winning restaurant has slowly made its mark as an excellent destination for food from the regions of China, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos and Burma. After alighting from the lift, you walk through a wooden door to step into a space dominated by red and black. The Buddha statues and green plants add the much needed contrast to the heavy colors and in the end it results in creating an intimate and warm dining space.

The restaurant week menu is curated to showcase a tapestry of the restaurants top dishes and that makes it harder to narrow down your choices. Lucky for you, I’m ruthlessly decisive when it comes to what I want to eat. (I had already made a mental note of my order by looking at the menu on the RWI page). I also very casually offered Arv suggestions on what he must order. That way I had all my bases covered! (OCD much? Yes!).
The wait staff offered us the drinks menu (not part of the RWI steal-deal) and the RWI menu and waited for us to make our choices. Apart from an appetizer, main course and dessert – Republic of Noodles (RON) also offers a Green Mango Salad or a Tom Yum Veg Soup to start with. Arv with his crazy running and football practice looked like he was coming down with a cold and he immediately picked the Tom Yum to offer him some much needed nasal solace. I on the other hand, cannot resist the allure of a Green Mango Salad. The Tom Yum Soup was rich with the heady aromas of kaffir lime, galangal and basil and a great way to start a meal. But the Green Mango Salad was something else altogether. Strips of Green Mango and roasted cherry tomatoes dressed with a sweet-spicy-tangy sauce and generously dotted with roasted peanuts. I literally slurped the remaining dressing from the bottom of the little bowl!


For Appetizers, Arv went with the Crispy Thread Prawns with XO Mayo and Golden Garlic. Four large succulent prawns wrapped in thread noodles and deep fried to a crisp. The XO mayo was interesting, but he much preferred to eat it with the spicy pounded chilli paste on the table. This one makes a great bar snack and would have been perfect with some beer. My only grouse was that the Thread noodles had soaked in way too much oil for my liking. I had ordered the Char Grilled Lamb with Spicy Basil and Cold Iceberg Lettuce. This one was perfect. The succulent lamb strips were made even more delicious by the basil and chilli sauce that coated it ever so lightly. And the lettuce cups made you believe you were actually eating a salad!
Because we were here for the preview, I was offered a small sampling of two other appetizers. (Of course I get perks: P). The vegetarians will love the Chilly Plum Glazed Crispy Shitake Mushrooms and Black Fungus. I think chilly plum glaze on anything is genius – so clearly I’m already bought over! The most sublime part of the whole meal actually came wrapped in a plain banana leaf package. The Singapore Style Banana Leaf wrap grilled fish just blew my mind. I didn’t even mind that the fish they used was Basa – that’s how beautiful this was! You open the package to reveal a kaffir lime leaf and a slice of onion resting on perfectly steamed fish. You pop a piece into your mouth and it just melts – leaving behind pops of kaffir lime and chilly on your tongue. Just exquisite.

For Main course I had my heart set on the Roast Duck Red Curry with Grapes. I choose to have this with some fragrant Jasmine Rice. Arv was torn between the Malaysian Family style Chicken with Green Beans and the Pork Laotian Bong Sauce with Bamboo Shoot and Cilantro. In my world, Pork always trumps Chicken and I expertly guided him towards the same. I love it when my good deed for the day is related to food!
The Roast Duck came in a wonderful silky curry redolent of Thai flavors. The disappointment however was the treatment meted out to the duck. No one ever won a prize for roasting a duck, ensuring it gets a crackling crisp skin and then dunking the thing into curry so that the skin gets all flabby and frankly unsightly. I rescued my main course by diligently prying the skin away from the beautiful pink tinged meat, but I doubt everyone else will have the patience or the sheer gumption to go through with the dissection.

Arv won the lottery on his main course. The Pork Laotian Bong Sauce (really don’t know what it means) with Bamboo shoots was very agreeable. Reminded me of a cross between a Naga Pork curry and some Malaysia rendang. We thought this would taste best with the Jasmine Rice but the surprise was how well it paired with the Chilly Basil Udon Noodles. Now I’m very partial to Udon noodles – the thick wheat flour noodles ticks all the boxes in my quest for a perfectly chewy and robust noodle. So I sneakily started piling my plate with more and more of this until I thought I would burst from eating so much! (The portions for both appetizer and main course are such that it can easily feed two people!).


Asian desserts are seriously uninspiring. I doubt a bowl of tropical fruit with jelly will ever trump a gooey fudge cake with chocolate ganache, but yet they try. I ordered the Almond Bean Curd with Lychee and Rambutan. I didn’t know they were being so literal with “Lychee and Rambutan” – there was 1 lychee and 1 rambutan! 🙂 The almond bean curd itself was panacotta like, albeit not as silky. The zing was provided by a dash of mango puree that actually complimented the bean curd very well. Exotic – yes, oh-my-god-this-is-so-awesome …No.
Arv pounced on the one thing that remotely resembled a western dessert – Banana Chocolate Cake. This one however was wrapped in a Lotus leaf and steamed. Pretty nifty actually, and it also tasted very good, especially with the vanilla ice cream.

 


The service at RON requires special mention with the wait staff being both knowledgeable and polite. The cutlery was changed for each course and they were smart enough to arrive when we needed something and discreet enough to leave us alone when we were absorbed in conversation. On the whole the experience is well worth the Rs.900/-++ that the RWI menu charges. You can even order one of their signature main courses for an additional Rs.200/-.
Restaurant Week India runs till the 28thof September for both lunch and dinner in 30 of the finest restaurants in Bangalore. You will however need to log into their website and reserve a table first. Bon Appetit my lovelies!
REPUBLIC OF NOODLES
2/1, St.John’s Road,
Bangalore – 560042.
Ph: +91 97421 06080
Timings: Lunch 12:30 – 3:30 PM and Dinner 7:00 – 11:30 PM
http://restaurantweekindia.com/

Jamva Chalo Ji – Parsi Cuisine @ ITC Cubbon Pavilion

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I’ve grown up lusting over Dhansak. The Jehangir Kothari Memorial Hall and the Fire temple was very close to where I lived and the sprightly Parsees always had some fair or event where one on them would be doling out Dhansak! I also had a Parsi friend in school whose lunchbox came crammed with delicious treats. So it’s pretty fair to say I know and love Bawa cuisine. The ITC is playing host to Chef Parvez Patel’s (of Ideal restaurant fame from Mumbai), to showcase the best of Bawa cuisine.

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Breaking the jinx with Mushroom Melts

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The thing about leisurely cooking in the afternoon, is that I get to take pictures. And that is a privilege that I seem to have lost with my current work schedule. Add to that, the imagined pressure of blogging about something fabulous and you have yourself a pretty non-existent blog over a couple of months. (Sorry Shwe!) So I’m breaking the jinx and blogging about something. Even if it’s something really simple. Something I make myself pretty often and something that I really like.
My normal grocery shopping always includes a packet of button mushrooms. I like to toss these babies into omelets, pulaos, stews and casseroles. But what I like to do most is just sauté them in butter and garlic and pile them mile high on some good bread. The key to making this more than ‘mushrooms on toast’, is to know how to sauté the mushrooms. What we are looking for is a nice seared brown outside and a juicy plump center. Overcrowding mushrooms in the pan and/or adding them in before the butter/oil is hot, will just cause them to water out and steam, instead of sauté. And we don’t want watery, shriveled up mushrooms – not when they are the star ingredient!
This version takes it a step further and adds some passata and cheese. I use a Baguette as the base, but Ciabatta would work great as well. The Mushrooms Melts make a delectable appetizer or light lunch with a fresh salad. What they also do, is serve to break my jinx and for that I adore them even more.

Mushroom Melts
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 2 mins
Serves: 2
What you need:
 200 gms Button Mushrooms
½ Tbsp Butter, salted
4 cloves of Garlic, minced
8 Tbsp of Passata/ Marinara Sauce
100 gms of Cheese (I like a Cheddar-Mozzarella mix)
1 Baguette
Olive Oil, for brushing
Parsely to garnish
Rock Salt, to taste


What to do:
Split the baguette down the center and cut into half. You should have four pieces. Brush the inner side with olive oil and place under a hot grill to toast for 2 minutes.
Wash and slice the mushrooms. Heat a frying pan on a medium flame and add in the butter. Wait till it is hot. Toss in the minced garlic and saute for 30 secs, do not brown. Toss in the mushrooms and ensure that they lay as a single layer on the bottom of the pan. (Do this in two batches if necessary). Sauté for 4-5 minutes till they are brown on the outside but are not releasing water. Take off the heat. Divide into four portions.
Now spread the passata/ marinara sauce on the toasted baguette and pile the mushrooms on it. Layer the cheese to just cover the mushrooms. (It’s easy to overdo the cheese, but don’t!). Carefully place the baguette back on the wire rack and grill for two minutes till the cheese just melts.
Garnish with some parsley/ flat leaf parsley and sprinkle some rock salt for some added pizazz. Your mushroom melts are now ready to be devoured.
Note: I make a similar meatball-marinara melt, but that’s a story for another day.