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Quick Fried Rice – A Lifesaver, literally!

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Chinese Cooking is an art (At least for me). So attempts of Chinese cuisine at home are few and far between. We do visit the fancy Chinese restaurant for a nice meal, but nothing beats ordering greasy Chinese food from the neighborhood restaurant and settling blissfully on the couch to watch reruns of ‘How I met your Mother’ (Or CSI Miami, if that’s your scene :P). At the end of the meal however there’s always a faint feeling of regret. And regret tastes like a swollen tongue because of the amount of MSG/ Ajinomoto that the local guys use, to kick up the taste of the food. Not nice… not nice at all!
When such derailing urges strike these days, thankfully I don’t need to call the Ajinomoto joint anymore. (No, I don’t have a Chinese chef at home.) But I recently found this brand called Blue Dragon, which makes some amazing stir fry sauces. All I need to do is cut up some chicken and veggies and stir fry them quickly and toss the sauce in to finish! It tastes brilliant 🙂 and even though I know there is some MSG in it, the level is not as high as leaving my mouth feeling like a barren wasteland! The only problem with this situation is that I only have the main course bit covered. Now if I order the noodles or rice from Ajinomoto Joint (that’s not their real name!), it defeats the purpose. That’s when I came across this fantabulous (yes, it’s that satisfying) Quick Fried Rice recipe. It looks and tastes like the real deal and helps complete the meal! Win win! Feels as good as Superman saving the day… well almost!

 

Quick Fried Rice
Prep time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Serves: 2
What you need:
2 cups cooked Rice, cold (I like Jeera Sambhar Rice)
2 large Eggs
4 Tbsp Oil for frying
2 Tbsp light Soy sauce/ Oyster Sauce (I prefer Oyster)
2 stalks Spring Onions, chopped
1 tsp Salt
Freshly ground Black Pepper
What to do:
Make sure the cooked rice is cold (not fridge cold) and spread out on a large plate. Wash and finely chop the spring onion stalks. Lightly beat the eggs with the salt and pepper, set aside.
Now, heat a wok or large frying pan and add 2 Tbsp of oil. When the oil is hot, add the eggs. Cook, stirring, until they are lightly scrambled but not too dry. Remove the eggs, set aside and clean out the pan.
Add 2 Tbsp of Oil into the hot pan again. Add the rice. Stir-fry for a few minutes, using chopsticks or a wooden spoon to break it apart. This is the ‘frying’ part of the Fried Rice. So sauté the rice till it looks like it’s nicely coated with the oil. It requires a bit of constant toss/ stirring action as that’s what gives the rice the restaurant feel. Do this for about 8-10 minutes. Now, stir in the soy sauce or oyster sauce and toss the rice and mix well.
When the rice is heated through, add the scrambled egg back into the pan. Mix thoroughly. Stir in the chopped spring onions. Serve hot.
Note: For the vegetarian option, omit the egg and use 4 Tbsp of mixed chopped vegetables instead. (Beans, Carrots and Celery).
If you want to take it up a notch for the Non-Vegetarian Option, you can add any one or all of the following in the final stage with the eggs:
a.    50 gms of cooked chicken, cut into small cubes
b.    1 Tbsp of fried Bacon bits
c.  50 gms of Cooked Shrimp

Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Chili Maple Croutons

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Now don’t be babies and skip this post because it’s got ‘kaddu/ kumbalkayi’ as the star ingredient. I know I ran a mile when my mom made pumpkin playa when I was a kid. There was so much drama about not eating it, that my mom finally relented and stopped making it for many years. But I guess I was always a hypocrite when it came to pumpkins. There’s a special halwa (sweet) called ‘Kashi Halwa’, that’s made out of pumpkins for our wedding ceremonies. I used to wait patiently furiously tapping my banana leaf for the waiter to serve us the halwa. I would quickly devour it before he finished serving the rest of the table and act like he missed serving me. The look on the waiter’s face was priceless!  But topping that look was mine, when my mom finally told me that the halwa was made out of pumpkin! Evil evil woman! After that I had to make my peace with the pumpkin. (If only to avoid the dichotomy while eating the halwa!)
Circa 2012, over a dinner in Graze at the Taj Vivaanta – I order Pumpkin Soup. The co-resident looks like he’s going to gag on his breadstick. I look at him smugly with a wait and watch approach. The soup is divine! Maybe because of the generous amount of truffle oil, but divine nonetheless. It also costs an arm and a leg. So I come back home and attempt to replicate it over the weekend. And the result is this gorgeous concoction. Yum yum yum… I kicked the recipe up a notch and served it with some Maple-paprika croutons. I now crown myself Queen of the Pumpkin Patch! 😛

Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Maple Chili Croutons
Prep time: 10 mins
Roasting time: 35 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Serves: 4
What you need:
500 gms/ ¼ of a large Sweet Pumpkin
1 bulb or 15 cloves of Garlic
1 med Onion, cut into wedges
1 ¼ litre Stock (chicken or vegetable)
1 tsp Red Chili flakes
1 tsp Honey
100 ml Cream
Olive Oil
Rock Salt
Freshly ground Black Pepper
For the Maple Chili Croutons:
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup/ Pancake Syrup
1 tsp Chill flakes
2 loaves of Multigrain bread, cut into cubes
Salt
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
What to do:
Preheat the oven/grill to 200°C. Score the fleshy side of the pumpkin well and drizzle with olive oil, salt, chilli flakes and pepper. Toss the garlic and onion in the same mixture. Lay out the pumpkin and onion in a roasting pan, put the garlic cloves on top (otherwise they will burn) and roast for 30-35 mins until nice and golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
Now scoop out the flesh of the pumpkin and puree in mixie along with the roasted garlic and onion. Add ½ cup of stock to get a nice and smooth puree with no lumps.
Transfer the puree to a large pot. Add the rest of the stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Drizzle the honey and mix well. Add in a Tbsp cream and stir. Now add the rest of the cream and just give it a good simmer for the next five minutes.
Note 1: Do not boil the soup as the cream can curdle.
Note 2: You can adjust the quantity of cream to the level of ‘creaminess you want – I actually prefer lesser cream to let the pumpkin flavor shine through
Serve the soup in a nice bowl garnished with a drizzle of olive oil and chili flakes and served with the crunchy maple chili croutons.
Maple Chilli Croutons
Toss the cubes of bread with the maple syrup and chili flakes and salt. In a pan, heat some olive oil and shallow fry the cubes till nice and crisp.

Raspberry Mascarpone Pie

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Raspberry Mascarpone Pie @ A Spoonful of Sugar, Indiranagar, Bangalore
I drove furiously; a few motorists were roughly pushed to the pavement. Six kilometers was nothing to satisfy a craving. And this time it was bad. I couldn’t think straight, I needed the fix…now. I had the rest of them on speed dial, but this one was different. If I wanted it, I had to go there myself. The anticipation builds up as you come closer. Maybe that was part of their plan? Parallel parking was not my scene, but I did it anyway. I didn’t want the moment to be interrupted by the cops. I walked into the space. There were others like me, reverently consuming their poison. He looked at me from behind the counter. The clear glass displayed everything that I wanted and more. Which one would I choose today? Something dark and dangerous or something sweet and exotic? There was one in Red calling out to me. I looked with scare concealed desire. He smirked and handed it over to me. I took Red with me to a corner. I didn’t want anyone recognizing me here. My face was already contorted with pleasure. I sat down on the cold concrete seat and picked up the spoon. The first bite is the most exquisite. I reverently dug into the layered pie. The Raspberry gelee mottled with raspberry bits, soft creamy mascarpone whipped to feel like air and the crumbly sweet biscuit – could it have been any more perfect? It was melting in my mouth and exploding on my tongue at once. Bite after bite the experience reached a crescendo! Sigh… it was over now. I walked up to the counter and paid him. ‘Would I like a tissue?’ he asked. Apparently, I still had evidence all over my face. 

Mangrove – Restaurant.Cafe.Wine Tavern (Kalyan Nagar, Bangalore)

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I live at a point where going to Indiranagar or Koramangala or MG Road is the same distance. I know, lucky me! With so many food options scattered at my doorstep, I hardly travel beyond these areas for a quick bite. But after a point it becomes same old same old and this weekend we decided to travel to the beyond. Ok, that’s Kalyan Nagar near H.R.B.R. layout for you. We took the Bypanahalli route because the GPS on the co-resident’s phone said it was the shortest and fastest route, but we din’t know it would lead us to a defunct railway crossing! After a few more adventures, we reached Mangrove. It’s a new American cuisine restaurant that’s opened its doors, to entice the sudden population burst towards Manyata Tech Park and ORR. There is a big sign painted on the entrance wall so that you don’t miss the restaurant on the quite road. J
We expected to find the restaurant under a Mango tree, but realized that the young couple who run the place came up with the name when they were scuba diving in the Andamas (which you know is also famous for its Mangroves). The lady also runs a bakery called Oven Treats and after being in the business for 8 years thought the time was right to step it up. The restaurant/café/wine tavern offers all day dining from 11am to 11pm, but you still have to wait for a while longer to have your meal with some wine. (The license is on its way). The space is split into two areas – the ground floor being more casual and café like, while the top floor acts as the more formal dining space. (The co-resident fell in love with the wooden chairs, but unfortunately it’s not something we can buy here. The restaurant had them tailormade and shipped from Pune L)

Mangrove calls themselves a contemporary kitchen that captures the influences shaping Bangalore. The menu tries to focus on all American favorites – Steaks and Grills, Burgers, Tex-Mex, but also has some Pastas and Pizzas to please the crowd.  There’s a small (tiny) standee on the table which had exactly three Indian dishes. The owner in a resigned manner admitted that the pressure from the office goers made him offer that, but he hopes to phase this out. (It apparently keeps the older members of large families happy as well, as they feel comfortable sticking to recognized fare while the rest of the family can indulge in new cuisine options.)
Since it was just two of us, we didn’t feel like usurping a table for six in the café area, so we walked up to the next floor. We were offered some garlic bread, breadsticks and a dip while we made our meal selection for the day. Both of us love our starters, so we were happy to see quite a few options. There are soups and salads as well (the Blue cheese one looked interesting), but we decided to stick to the fried stuff. (Weekends are for indulging!) The starters are named ‘Sharables’ here and we tried three. The Mushroom caps came stuffed with spinach and cheese and were crumb fried. Served with a homemade tomato dip and some peppers, this was quite nice. The veggies have some nice options here, however that was the only veggie dish we tried for the evening. We also just stuck to water and not some fizzy drinks or smoothies that the restaurant offered. (I wanted to save space for main course).
The owner informed us that he gets very good seafood from a trusty vendor. I love all things prawn, so we ordered the interesting sounding Coconut Prawns. We got six medium prawns coated with a breadcrumb, spice and coconut mixture fried golden yellow and served with a tangy white dip. I vouch for the freshness of the seafood. Absolutely spot on! However, since it was called Coconut Prawns, I expected it to have a more robust coconut flavor. And finally, the most loved starter of the day – the Hot Buffalo Wings. Grilled wings basted with a yummy BBQ sauce served with more hot sauce for dipping. This was a winner. We licked our fingers clean!

For main course we were hard pressed between the burgers or the steaks. The burgers had some very interesting combos and toppings (Avocado, Bacon, Cream Cheese etc etc) which you could then choose to have with a veg/ chicken/ beef patty. We decided to come back another day for that experiment and narrowed it down to the steaks. The co-resident ordered Spice rubbed Spare Ribs served with Polenta and I got the day’s special of Pork Chops. You can choose to get your steaks as sizzlers, but I’m not a fan of all that smoke and noise. (Besides, the humidity does nothing for blow dried hair!) The main course arrived in front of us. This is when we realized we had made a huge mistake. After stuffing ourselves with starters, we were left staring at huge portions! No matter, I can pack it in… I just needed to meditate for a few minutes 😛
The Pork chops were doused in a brown sauce with whole pods of grilled garlic. The meat was falling off the bone and I wondered if it was pressure cooked to achieve this result. (I call that cheating…) However the restaurant clarified that it was cooked in the oven and then finished off in the grill pan. I enjoyed the chops, but it was the accompaniment of mustard potatoes that stole the show. Baby potatoes soft on the inside and crisp on the outside coated with a cheesy mustard sauce. Heaven! Now that I think about it, maybe it was doused in butter as well. How else can you expect such yumminess?! They served some grilled veggies as well and that made it quite a filling meal. The co-resident’s Spice rubbed Spare Ribs also came in American sized portions. Along with the creamy polenta and the veggies he was stuffed like a turkey! (This is when I reminded myself that NORMAL people eat just one starter among themselves and then proceed to the Main Course).
Yes, we did dessert. We just had to. Din’t I tell you that the lady of the house had a bakery for eight years? They don’t really have a fixed dessert menu. That was good for us because we decided to walk down and have a look for ourselves. (Some exercise and a good way to check out the seating on the first floor – so comfortable). We settled on the Apple Cake with Ice Cream. The filling was yummy and cinnamonny and raisiny but was let down by the fact that the pastry had gone soft when heated in a microwave. Maybe next time they warm it up in the oven instead?

So what’s the final deal? The co-resident’s friends in the area will be happy to hear that they have a place to go to when they get the munchies at odd times J  and I would definitely go back there for a meal, if I was in that part of town. Good food, great portions, pleasant service and the owners actually seem like they are passionate about providing a good dining experience to their patrons. That’s half the battle won if you ask me. The other half is not succumbing to peer pressure and turning it into a multi-cuisine restaurant to make your numbers. That, only time will tell. For now, it’s a good place to hang out and enjoy some good food and fun conversations.

MANGROVE
9th Main, 1st Block,
H.R.B.R. Layout, Kalyan Nagar,
Bangalore – 560043
Ph: 080-25450306/ +91 9886028118
Parking: In the plot next to the restaurant
Price Point: Salads and Soups from Rs. 120-190/-, Starters Rs.160-245/-, Mains from Rs. 170-390/-, Desserts Rs.100-150/-. Service Charge of 7% included, but you can choose not to pay, if you are unhappy with the service. (It says so on the menu!)

Pasta with Roasted Vegetables

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Featured in Foodgawker.com on 16th Oct 2012
Featured in Tastespotting.com on 21st Oct 2012
No matter how good my refrigerator is, I can’t store things forever. Especially fruits and vegetables. I don’t have the luxury of taking a lovely evening stroll to source my produce everyday, like the friendly aunty who lives across the street from me. I go to a hypermarket close by and bundle everything I can into the car and lug it home once a week. I know the hypermarket claims the produce is super fresh and challenges anyone to claim otherwise. But everyone knows that even the supposedly ‘fresh’ produce in supermarkets is already stashed in cold storage for weeks to help transport it intact. Now is this a rant on the troubles of city living or the hypocrisy of large corporations? No.
I just have a rule that once I buy something perishable from the market, I need to finish it within a week. In a perfect world, I would have planned the menu for the week in advance. I would have used up everything judiciously by the end of the week. I would have variety everyday and would eat healthy and balanced meals. Unfortunately we live in the real world. Sometimes we work late, sometimes we run out of gas, sometimes we go out for dinner and sometimes we just want to order in greasy Chinese. Towards the end of the week, when I open the fridge to grab some chocolate – the veggies are staring back at me. The guilt meter points to high. That’s when genius strikes and I rustle up something that can accommodate the weeks shopping list. Fortunately this time, they all lent themselves to a nice Roasted Vegetable sauce served with Pasta. Hallelujah! Because it looked and tasted so amazing, the co-resident thought I planned this, weeks in advance J

Pasta with Roasted Vegetables
Prep time: 10 mins
Grilling time: 30 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Serves: 4
What you need:
2 Onions, cut into wedges
2 Zucchini, sliced
1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and cut into large strips
1 Yellow Bell Pepper, seeded and cut into large strips
5 large Garlic cloves
1 ½ cup Tomato sauce (I used ready Pasta sauce – recipe here)
4 Tbsp Olive Oil
½ cup Black Olives, pitted
350 gms Pasta (Penne, Macaroni, Fuseli)
Salt and Black Pepper to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese to serve
What to do:
Preheat the oven/grill to 240°C. Spread out the onions, zucchini, Peppers and garlic in a single layer on a roasting pan. Drizzle with 2 tbsp of olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir well until all the vegetables are coated. Roast in the pre heated oven for 15 mins. Remove and stir well. Return to the oven for an additional 15 mins. Set aside.
Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. I like it a little softer than al dente, so I aim for 15 mins. Drain and keep aside. Reserve 2 Tbsp of the liquid.
In a large saucepan, bring the tomato sauce to a boil, toss in the roasted vegetables and turn off the stove. Now mix well and then add the olives. You can use the reserved liquid here to get the desired consistency. Check seasoning. Now toss in the pasta and serve hot. Grate fresh parmesan cheese over the top to make it yummier.
Here’s what was featured in Foodgawker.com
and Tastespotting.com

The Bork

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Bork @ Monkey Bar, Wood Street, Bangalore
I walked in to a familiar setting. Friends, food and getting wasted on drinks in the afternoon. It was the same this time. Like a warm blanket, familiarity can be comforting. There was a blackboard menu. Some new items of interest had made their way up there. A Beef and Jalapeno Potsticker, even a Salmon Khan! Should I shake things up a bit? The guy in the red t-shirt said yes. But of course he would… he worked there. So I tried it. Nice, but it wasn’t my warm blanket. I stirred my Mandarin Caprioska and told him I was shaken. I need to settle into my grove again. I ordered the Bork.  The pork was double cooked till he turned black. From that point on, he was called Bork. I gently removed the spring onion frills that he had chosen to be dressed with. Sesame seeds stuck to him like thick friends. No matter, the more the merrier. I cut into the Bork, gently lifted a piece into my mouth. The meat was crispy and the fat was soft. I followed it up with a mouthful of vegetables and noodles tossed in Black Bean sauce. The hit of Chili Oil was unmistakable. So the Bork liked his noodles hot…well, so did I.  

Hot Chocolate Con Churros

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From a quaint little cafe in Barric Gotic, Barcelona
I had walked a good three hours taking in the sights and sounds (crazy tourists!) of this old-new city in summer. I was looking for something to drink, preferably cold. A nice little dessert would also be great, while my brain indulged in some people watching. I finally found the ideal spot – a small cafe, tucked away but still on the main street. Wooden floors, deep red couches and a bottle green ceiling. Unfortunately they only served Hot Chocolate at 4 pm. I couldn’t walk away now, so I ordered a bottle of cold water and asked him to get me a mug. He placed the cold water in front of me and ambled away. There was no sign of him for a good third of an hour. No matter, I had people to analyse. He finally returned with a steaming cup of hot chocolate. Thick, gooey and almost the consistency of melted chocolate. Was this for real? And then he placed freshly made Churros sprinkled with sugar. Quaint little cafe’s can do that you know….transport you into another world with fairy dust.

Chinese Food Festival at Feast, Sheraton Bangalore

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Monday was an eventful day. I finally drove all the way to the other side of town to experience authentic Chinese delicacies. Now this would have never been done, if not for a blogger friend of mine who invited me to come along with him to Sheraton. He was invited as part of the Chef’s table and I was going to be his happy sidekick.
Feast, which is the all-day dining restaurant at the Sheraton Hotel, Bangalore was playing host to visiting Chinese Master Chef Thi Gang. Chef Thi Gang is from their award winning restaurant Li Bai at the Sheraton Saigon, Vietnam and was here to showcase the rich and diverse culinary heritage of China. Like India, China is vast country with unique regional cuisines and showcasing all of it can be a gargantuan task. So the Chef had handpicked some interesting dishes to help us savour a taste of China, if you will. The chef is a tiny man with a big smile and speaks very little English but his mastery was evident as we tasted the food. Anyway, we had Executive Chef Bela Rieck who was happy to indulge us with some fun conversation and cuisine facts. 
According to the Chinese Zodiac this is the year of The Dragon, who is the deliverer of good fortune and authority. Now, why am I delving into the Chinese Zodiac? That’s because The Sheraton Bangalore has come up with a unique idea of customizing cocktails/ mocktails according to your sign. Now how cool is that?! My sign is the Rooster and apparently The Cosmopolitan was the drink of choice. Classy, showy and red! My companion got the French 7, a champagne based cocktail to complement the sign of the Pig. All I can say is ‘Lucky Pig’!  Ask the staff for your special cocktail, apart from being a yummy way to start the evening; it will also make for interesting table conversations.  
We decided to start with the Seafood and fish maw soup. We stood eagerly as the chef expertly turned out a wonton in front of us and then proceeded to add fresh seafood to the broth. There was calamari, fish, prawns and wait for it…scallops! Joy to the world. This was the first time I tasted a scallop and I must admit the texture and taste was lovely. The seafood soup had just the right amount of seasoning to whet the appetite.  
There were three kinds of salads that day. A Spinach and Garlic salad, Green Papaya Salad and Lotus root Salad. If I had to pick one for new experiences I would go with the Lotus Root Salad, however I kept going back to the spinach salad for the burnt garlic bits. (You know I love my garlic!).
The restaurant has tried to keep a good balance of the vegetarian and non-vegetarian main courses. We don’t want our veggie brethren to feel cheated now do we? So for the veggies it was Seasonal Vegetables with Oyster Sauce and a Silken Tofu dish. I loved the former – the broccoli and bok choy were complemented by the oyster sauce. Now you’re thinking Oyster?? That’s not vegetarian! Let me clarify my friend… it’s a vegetarian sauce prepared to mimic the taste of Oyster sauce. How’s that for having you cake and eating it as well?
The Non-vegetarians as usual never need fear. We had a yummy Kung Pao Chicken. (Just the crunchy cashews make my stomach rumble) and there was a lovely Steamed Fish in a Bacon broth. (I forget the real name…) Knowing my love for bacon, of course I proceeded to pour the broth many times over my portion of fish. Bacon makes everything yummy! However, I must give credit to the way the fish was cooked. Succulent and soft but not mushy.  
You could choose to have Fried Rice or Noodles to accompany your main course. Just take your pick of what you want tossed in it. I had to try the noodles just to see it being put together and tossed in the wok. It’s all about the drama! Chef had specially prepared a sauce and brought it all the way from home – so obviously I opted for that. And it din’t disappoint! Sweet, sour, spicy and salty , just like what Chinese cuisine tries to do – achieve Balance. However, me being Indian needed to rock the boat and asked for some extra scallops to be thrown in. It works when you smile really wide!  
Feast being an all day dining restaurant has Indian as well as Western cuisine on offer apart from their Asian counters. But since I had decided to experience the Chinese Festival food, I firmly choose to look away from the other spread. It was extremely difficult seeing Roast Pork, Chorizo, Mussels etc etc. and turning my head away – but I told myself I have an iron will! Unfortunately that will crumbled when it was time for dessert. The Chinese dessert option (to put it mildly) was Sweetened Water Chestnut and White Fungus Soup. I know!!! I tried it to like it in all fairness, but I’ve grown up on sickly sweet Rosagullas and Mysore pak! I politely nodded my head in approval at the chef and darted away to the other dessert counters. Close call, Phew! I had a Teppanyaki Ice cream (they combine your choice of ice cream with all your chosen toppings and mish mash it around on a cold stone till you get a harmonious looking scoop). If nothing else, it’s super fun to watch him make it! Ofcourse I ate almost everything else on the dessert counter, but we’ll act like I was dignified and din’t J
The Chinese experience along with the rest of the spread costs Rs.1045/- for the lunch buffet and Rs. 1195/- for dinner. You can enjoy unlimited Beer along with your food at Rs.1595/-. The festival is on till the end of the week (14th Oct), so hurry if you want to catch some fun and authentic flavours.
FEAST, a world of flavours
SHERATON BANGALORE at Brigade Gateway
26/1 Dr.Rajkumar Road,
Malleshwaram-Rajajinagar,
Bangalore – 560055.
Ph: +91 80 4252 1000
Parking: Valet Available
Price Point: Rs.650/-  breakfast buffet, Rs.1045/-  lunch buffet and Rs.1195/- dinner buffet. Excluding taxes and Service charge .