caldron magazine, july 2015

CALDRON MAGAZINE, JULY 2015 | 1

JULY 2015

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6WEIRD ICE CREAMS IN NEW YORK

3 REASONS AGAINST SELF MEDICATION

10DELICIOUS RECIPES

6 BRILLIANT COCKTAIL RECIPES

5 VIETNAMESE DISHES YOU MUST TRY!

10 RESTAURANTREVIEWS

LIKE COFFEE? LEARN HOW TO DO IT RIGHT!

KEVENTER'S IS BACK IN A NEW AVATAR

HEARD OF INDONESIAN THANKSGIVING?

IS YOUR KID'S TIFFIN HEALTHY?

PAGE 28

Find the recipe of this shredded

chicken burger on page 34

2 | CALDRON MAGAZINE, JULY 2015

CONTENTSreviews08 zauk, greater noida10 bueno, gurgaon12 edo, bangalore14 sodabottleopenerwala, bangalore16 social offline, mumbai18 monkey bar, mumbai20 khorisa, pune22 tgif, chennai24 soda font, dubai26 ai fiori, new york

cover story28 tiffins, reloaded

food & flavors48 rise, grind and shine52 zip, zap, zoom76 6 strangely delicious ice creams in nY

matters of spirit60 a cheery, fizzy toast

issue bonus54 cold cold go away56 keventers: the revival of a legend78 juice in a jiffy80 hridayesh @ corbett86 tiffin: an exquisite glimpse into history88 for every chef and every critic

recipes34 barbecued chicken burger with coleslaw36 sandwich with fruits and cream cheese38 soft egg and rocket sandwich40 spinach and egg wrap42 lettuce parcels with spicy chicken47 pisang goreng47 nasi goreng

drinks & cocktails62 elderflower fizz64 rossini66 spritz68 malta mimosa70 passion flute72 bellini

regulars5 editorial6 born this month58 ask the experts90 national listings91 international listings


DO YOU ENJOY FIZZY DRINKS? WE HAVE A

WHOLE BUNCH OF FIZZY COCKTAILS FOR YOU! FLIP

TO PAGE 60


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VINITA BHATIA (Mumbai)consulting [email protected]

PARUL PRATAP SHIRAZI (Delhi/NCR)features editor [email protected]

NATASHA ALI (Bangalore)associate [email protected]

JASWINDER SINGH (delhi/ncr)wine & beverages [email protected]

CHARIS ALFRED BHAGIANTHAN (New york)associate [email protected]

kuki ravindran (chennai)associate [email protected]

supportRHEA MITRA-DALAL (Mumbai)quality analysis & [email protected]

RITUPARNA MUKERJI (Delhi/NCR)MANISH BHALLA (London, UK)recipe curation [email protected]

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As parents, most of us consider it our duty to prepare our children for their adult lives, educating them on how they must conduct themselves to achieve success when they, as

they ultimately must, leave home and hearth to spread their wings and take off on their own journeys. While we do not accompany them on these journeys, reduced as we then will be to visitors for most part, the values and exposure imparted to our children stays

with them and influences their adult decisions for the rest of their natural lives.

It is therefore a paradox, when one observes parents, otherwise fiercely protective of their children, stuffing them with all manner of foods. The problem here is two-fold. First, we're conditioning their psyches and bodies to consume and indeed crave foods that aren't the healthiest around and will in fact be downright harmful as they grow older. Second, the habits our children develop at a young age are very tough to break out of later. You will agree a jalebi chomping fat kid is a pretty picture only when one doesn't have to imagine a jalebi chomping fat adult with clogged arteries, diabetes and hypertension.

Consequently, we must implement healthy eating habits in our children while they're still talking to us and that means before the dreaded teen-age arrives. Half the solution is educating ourselves and the other half, implementing the knowledge gained. Most of us are blissfully unaware of what the word 'healthy' really means and how it applies to our personal and family situations. Once that is understood, we must strive to bring about change in our eating habits; think of reading labels to see the amount of sugar in a product, monitor how much sodium we're ingesting on a daily basis and so on.

A crucial part of this process, in the context of our children, is their weekday lunch. It's easy to quickly fry something or throw in a "2-minute" noodle product. It's a little more difficult to think of what value those foods add to your child's day and more important, what harm do they do. Our cover story for this month explores this as well as shares a few recipes that may be better in bringing nutrition and health to your child's lunchboxes.

I hope you're going to think a bit on this and bring about positive change.

Stay well.Sid

editorial

find us on


Alton Crawford Brown (born July 30, 1962) is an American television personality, celebrity chef, author, actor,

and cinematographer. He is the creator and host of the Food Network television show Good Eats, host of the mini-series Feasting on Asphalt and Feasting on Waves, and host and main commentator on Iron Chef America and Cutthroat Kitchen. Brown is also the author of several books on cookery.

Brown notes that he was dissatisfied with the quality of cooking shows airing on American television, so he set out to produce his own show. In preparation, he enrolled in the New England Culinary Institute, graduating in 1997. Brown says that he was a poor science student in high school and college, but he focused on the subject to understand the underlying processes of cooking.

He is outspoken in his shows about his dislike of single-purpose kitchen utensils and equipment ("unitaskers"), such as garlic presses and margarita machines, although he adapts a few traditionally single-purpose devices, such as rice cookers and melon ballers, into multi-purpose tools.

Bon Appétit magazine named him "Cooking Teacher of the Year" in 2004. He was named "Best Food Guru" by Atlanta magazine in 2005. In 2011, he won the James Beard Foundation Award for Best TV Food Personality.

Brown lives in Marietta, Georgia. He divorced his wife DeAnna in 2015. Deanna and Alton have a daughter Zoey (born in 1999). A few members of his extended family have appeared on Good Eats (such as his late grandmother, Ma Mae, his mother, and daughter, Zoey, who is known on the show as "Alton's Spawn"), but most of his "family" portrayed on the series is made up of actors and the show's production crew. DeAnna Brown is the co-executive producer of Good Eats but only appears on the tenth anniversary episode along with Zoey. Brown also portrays his frequently arrested evil twin brother "B.A." ■

BORN THIS MONTHALTON BROWN ■ BORN JULY 30TH, 1962

LIVING LEGEND

I'm Just Here for the Food: Food + Heat = Cooking Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen

I'm Just Here for the Food: Kitchen User's Manual I'm Just Here for the Food: Cook's Notes

I'm Just Here for More Food: Food × Mixing + Heat = Baking I'm Just Here for the Food: Version 2.0

Feasting on Asphalt: The River Run Good Eats: The Early Years

Good Eats 2: The Middle Years Good Eats 3: The Later Years

published works

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As Child Nutrition Expert for Nestlé Middle East, Sarah Kanaan is responsible for overseeing all children’s nutrition, health and wellness initiatives across the brand’s various divisions. Having worked as an instructor at the Nutrition and Food Sciences Faculty at the American University of Beirut, she staunchly advocates that the right eating habits hold the key to good health. And there is no better time to start eating right than right now. With the holy month of Ramadan going on, she stresses on how kids who are fasting should eat a hearty Suhoor so that they can function well through the day.

At a young age, when everyone at his Bengali home was all praises when he first steamed his Sorson Bhapa Ilish for dinner, Chef Shubham Dhar knew he had found his calling for life. After finishing his schooling from St Ignatius Loyola High School, Jamshedpur, he graduated from ITC Welcom Group of Hotel Administration in the year 2004 and started his culinary journey with the Taj group of hotels and saw his gastro dreams materialize at the Masala chain of restaurants, which boasts of taking Indian cuisine to an entirely different level.

CONTRIBUTORS JULY

20

15


The Savior of Greater NOIDA

Greater NOIDA is as close as it gets to a ghost town. The entire area is home to a great number of

buildings, a big bunch of students and a few regular people. Going by that demographic, there aren’t many restaurants here that sell regular food for regular folks; most establishments tend to sell to students and we all know how we were at that age – hungry and broke, which translates to large portions of low cost food with little or no regard to the finer points of cooking. There is a Swagath, two of them in fact, which do a fair job of dishing out their unique combination of cuisines, but little else.

Right pleased I was therefore to see a well packaged delivery arrive at a friend’s house, out of which he pulled out Chicken Malai Tikka (INR 265), Galauti Kebab (INR 165), Murgh Irani (INR 455), Dum Mutton Biryani (INR 295), Shahi

Tukra (INR 40) and Khamiri Rotis (INR 7). They came from a new takeaway called Zauk, which serves up a bunch of cliched dishes, which they cook, wrap and deliver in the most commendable manner. The thing about cliched food is

Greater NOIDA has a severe shortage of establishments that serve good food, so much so that fast food joints appeared to be the only

way to obtain consistent quality of food. That is until the author became aware of Zauk, after which he never looked elsewhere.

The Mutton Nihari was delicious with tender pieces of mutton and a fragrant, thick gravy full of flavour.

RESTAURANT REVIEW

SID KHULLAR / DELHI

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that when you do an outstanding job of producing it, the world will beat a path to your door, as I did with Zauk. Over the next week, we called Zauk and ordered ourselves some Tandoori Chicken (INR 280), Malai Kofta (INR 150) and Mutton Nehari (INR 300) apart from repeating portions of Murgh Irani and Galauti Kebabs. During these phone calls I also learned the owners were a young professional couple who had always wanted to start a restaurant. Given the excellent experience we’d had so

far, I was surprised to know that this couple, Haffa and Imran Khan, an ex-Assistant Professor in Management and an ex-Assistant HR Manager not only own and operate Zauk, but do so in a most exemplary fashion.

While I thought the tandoori chicken much too spicy and dry,

and the galauti kebab to have much too much katchri (a papain based meat tenderizer), the rest of the food was brilliant. The Murgh Irani, once you drain out most of the oil, was fragrant, tender and very subtly flavored; the Malai Kofta, incredibly soft, yet held together until touched by a piece of Khamiri Roti, the Mutton Nihari full of flavor and all the promise that a well made Nihari holds and the Shahi Tukra simple and just right. The packaging is compact, hygienic and has no

scope for leakage, the delivery consistent and their phone manner friendly.

If you’re in Greater NOIDA and looking for good Mughlai/Muslim food, then I’m very sure you’ll love Zauk as I do. ■

PRICE: INR 500++ (Working meal for two)

ADDRESS: C-1, Media Village, Phase 4, Greater Noida, Noida

PHONES: 0120 416 4885

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Zauk's packaging is impressive - neat, effective and compact.

“The Murgh Irani, once you drain out most of the oil, was fragrant,

tender and very subtly flavored; the Malai

Kofta, incredibly soft, yet held together until touched by a piece of

Khamiri Roti.

SID

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AR


There are at least a dozen food delivery services birthed in the year 2015 and all 12 seem to function out

of Delhi/NCR. It’s like restaurants on wheels in the new way to eat out (or in for that matter!) and

the fact that more and more are mushrooming can only mean that this module works or has poten-tial to work! This is supplement-ed by traffic woes, long working hours and a dearth of domestic staff, so ordering in is a definitive norm, at least in the satellite city of Gurgaon. Every service regur-gitates the same promises: fresh, healthy, home made but most are mass made in central kitchens or sourced from multiple kitchens and sent to you on a branded two wheeler. So what’s different about Bueno you ask? Well, quite a few things. The ordering system is fairly flawless, completely online (if you so wish), an sms when the order is shipped, an sms when it reaches (and it does so within an hour of ordering but only for

certain ‘express’ meals), the snag is that they actually need 24 hours’ notice if you want to pick and choose from the entire menu. That could well be a hindrance because the demographic best suited to pa-tronize this service don’t plan their meals in a structured way. An ideal

situation would be a one hour de-livery for any and all foods on the menu. There are other plus points though, the fact that it is a multi cuisine kitch-en with dishes from Mexico and Middle East that add more value to the usual suspects – Pan Asian, European, American and Indian of course. But I can’t wrap my head around the 24 hour prior notice bit!

THE ORIGINAL THOUGHTPankaj Sharma,

Co-Founder of Buéno, says: “the idea behind Buéno is to be an end-to-end food ordering & delivery platform for global gourmet food anywhere and anytime. We stan-dardize our dishes, closely monitor the quality and cater to the impulse as well as planned food need across

Home Delivery for the Hungry

RESTAURANT REVIEW

PARUL PRATAP SHIRAZI / DELHI

After sampling a dish from every cuisine

on the menu, Parul's final verdict would

have to be that Bueno is value for

money; substantial in terms of portions but nothing memorable

or exceptional.

BUENO

The Bueno Salad.

BUENO


cuisines & locations”. Their key services include the Bueno Menu-Maker which is their gourmet catering offering with nearly 400 dishes and set meal packages and Buéno XPRS, which are popu-lar dishes that can be ordered as express meals and are delivered within 1 hour (in select pockets of Gurgaon as of now and very soon expanding to other places in Delhi).

THE FINAL RESULTAfter sampling a dish from every cuisine, the final verdict would have to be that its value for money, substantial in terms of portions but nothing memorable or exceptional. For instance, the Hummus (with pita) was good, rich and creamy, could do with more extra virgin ol-ive oil but the pita was slightly dry which led to the assumption that it was stale. It could have well been the exposure to open air but con-sumers shape their opinion with what they see and what they taste. I did enjoy the Mexican Rice with Paprika Yogurt, probably way spic-ier than any Mexican would like it but for a Delhi bred Indian it had all the kick to make it a satisfying

vegetarian meal. The same goes for the Thai Veg Green Curry, the spice is required but not necessarily to this extent. It’s good for those who like pungent foods but for others, I’d say stick to the Sandwiches, Wraps, Rolls and Pastas. Of which I felt the Spaghetti Aglio e Olio was best, it had the requisite tartness of good extra virgin olive oil, the spaghetti was just about al dente and the portion was just right. If you’d like dessert then I suggest you go elsewhere. Both the Choc-olate Chip Muffin and the Choco-late Brownie seemed outsourced, akin to the kind you’d find at a gas station rest stop, dark brown and greasy yet no real flavour of choc-olate and dry from inside. I have never understood that paradox. Where does the colour come from if the flavour is not chocolate and what is the purpose of the grease if the mouth feel is going to be dry? It is apparent that Bueno is here to fill a gap and given that the menu is 400 dishes strong, there may be more than a few hits hidden in there. Give it a try and see if you find them! ■

PRICE: INR 1000++ (Meal for two)

ADDRESS: T20/18, DLF Phase 3, Gurgaon, Haryana 122 008

PHONES: 98119 10258

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BUENO

“I enjoyed the Mexican

Rice with Paprika Yoghurt, probably

way spicier than any Mexican would like it but for a Delhi-bred

Indian it had all the kick to make it a satisfying

vegetarian meal.

You'll have to hunt from the massive menu at Buenos to find your personal favorites.


RESTAURANT REVIEW

NATASHA ALI / BANGALORE

For the longest time, I have been hearing about Edo, ITC Gardenia’s spe-cialty Japanese restau-rant, from friends who

have been visiting since it opened its doors. So, last month, when the opportunity presented itself to partake of a specially curated, 7-course meal, said friends, my date for the evening and I made our way over with every expecta-tion of a grand meal. And disap-pointed, we were not. Trite as it may sound to some, this was not just about eating Japanese food. This was a dining experience, a meal for the senses. Which is very much in keeping with the way the Japanese approach their food, anyhow!

BOTTOMS UP!Now there is something just a bit naughty about banging on the ta-ble and yelling and doing a bomb, as you sit in fine dine surroundings at one of Bangalore’s top hotels! This, however, is exactly how we began our evening, with a Soju

Bomb: a glass of chilled beer, about half full, is topped with a pair of chopsticks, upon which a Soju cup, filled to the brim with the potent rice liquor, is further balanced. After a one-two-three countdown in Japanese, everyone bangs on the table, the chopsticks displace and the Soju goes ‘plop’ into the beer. At which point, we were instruct-ed to pick up our glasses and go for broke. Yours truly managed to drain her glass first, and we all agreed that this was a most enter-taining and warming way to begin

the meal! Not that we stopped there – flavored Soju Tinis kept us company through the evening.

As I would expect from a Japanese meal, there was attention to detail, extended to all aspects of plating too – every morsel we ate that night was presented beautifully and had us in anticipation of the next course. We started off with Zenzai, which featured a trio of proteins that set the tone in terms of elegance, flavor and quality. Aigamo Butter Ponzu, sous vide

Dining at Edo is an experience for the senses, featuring Japanese ingredients and flavours - a meal Natasha Ali won't forget in a

hurry!

A JAPANESE EXPERIENCE AT EDO

The calm before the storm - Soju

Bomb time!

EDO


of duck breast with shiitake mushrooms and butter, a shot glass layered with Kanpachi Shishozuke (Yellow Tail with Shisho) and Chuka Kuragae (jellyfish), and Avacado Tamari (fatty tuna with avocado) adorned with salmon roe. For Sashimi, we were presented with young Yellow Tail and Fatty Tuna, sliced finely, while the Sushi offerings included Samurai, Rainbow maki and Sweet Shrimp nigiri. A special mention here for the Wasabi – fresh, not processed, with the root brought to the table and grated, giving it a much smoother and less punch in the gut aspect than its bright green cousin! And finally, I got to enjoy Sushi and Sashimi of the highest order, something I have missed after all those years of beach side indulgence at sushi bars in San Diego!

NOT JUST EDAMAMEThe soup course brought with it Hokkaido scallop, edamame, roe and mushroom arranged prettily on a soup plate, and then the green liquified edamame was poured over this base. I could easily and happily have consumed a second portion of this; what a fantastic meld of flavors, strong on mushrooms I might add, was that! The Yakimono course of surf and turf meant a brilliant Angus Beef grilled to perfection and Sweet Miso marinated Black Cod. Next was a dish that took a few bites to get used to, but once I got started, I could not put my spoon down until I scraped the bowl. This Japanese egg custard, Chawanmushi, came adorned with mushrooms and edamame beans, and had a dashi base. And it had a special treasure of the sea in its midst – a perfect morsel of Unagi, freshwa-ter eel.

NIRVANA, I MEAN NIMONOPork belly is always welcome, and when cooked and flavored as delicately as what Master Chef Kamlesh

presented us with was, there was silence punctuated by happy sounds while we all dug into the Kuro Buta Kakuni. And hard as it is to believe, the dish that appeared next actually was both the perfect foil as well as worthy competitor to the pork belly – Ume Chazuke, green tea flavored rice with Japanese pick-led plum and a beautiful piece of salmon, garnished with sesame, wakame (seaweed) and scallions.

UNUSUAL BUT DELICIOUSThe dessert course, Mizugashi, was another trio – ah, the symmetry of ending the way we began – of Goma aka Black Sesame ice cream, Green Tea Crème brûlée and Yuzu Cheesecake. The Crème brûlée was topped with a green tea cookie, and the flavors within both were just spectacular – light yet lingering on the tongue. The ice cream, unusual as it was, was deli-cious, and the Japanese style cheesecake was every-thing one could ask for. I am a cheesecake junkie, and have gotten into the Japanese version, which is much lighter and airier than its American/European coun-terpart.

This was a meal for the books, one we discussed all the way home, told our friends about, and will relish in memory too. So, the next time a craving for au-thentic and high quality Japanese food hits, you know where to head. Or you know, to celebrate a special moment, birthday or anniversary, to the tune of a beautiful meal. It will be a sensory experience and trust me, one your senses will defi-nitely thank you for! ■

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PRICE: INR 4000++ (meal for two)

ADDRESS: ITC Gardenia, 1, Residency Road, Bangalore

PHONES: 080 221 19898

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RESTAURANT REVIEW

NATASHA ALI / BANGALORE

YAADON KI BAARAT

I don’t know what it is about Parsi food – it seems to engender reminiscing over childhood moments and meals at Parsi friends’

homes. Last month I went over to SodaBottleOpenerWala (hence-forth to be called SBOW, ’cause

I am, well, lazy!) with the usual bunch of suspects (fellow food writers and best gal pals) for a Sunday luncheon, and literally every one of us had a story or three that involved childhood Parsi friends – and we all grew up in a different city across India. So there was definitely both nostalgia and

sensory memories involved when we all gathered at SBOW, of Gur-gaon fame (and now, Hyderabad too). The place was packed to the gills, and I felt sorry for the peo-ple waiting hopefully for tables, especially when a friend and wife walked in and had to deposit themselves at the bar, and were still there, when we left. But I totally get why its the rage. The food’s lovely, the ambience is quaint, cute and vibrant, and with old Hindi standards piping from speakers, not to mention the toy train that placidly chugs across the space, on tracks suspended above our heads, as well as the huge suspend-ed copper tea kettle doing duty as a fountain, there’s really so much to love! You should take the time and effort (you will have to jostle a chair or two and navigate across the space) to check out the signage, posters and chalk written warnings that dot the interior. And any little kids visiting will demand a ride on the teeny metal bikes outside.

SODABOTTLEOPENERWALA: A DELICIOUS MOUTHFUL!

SODA BOTTLE OPENER WALA

The food's lovely, the ambience is quaint, cute and vibrant, and with old Hindi standards piping from speakers across the space, not to mention the toy train that placidly chugs across the space, on tracks suspended above our heads,

as well as the huge suspended copper tea kettle doing duty as a fountain, there's really so much to love!


GETTING OUR DAARU ONDrink is an essential Sunday lunch component, for us bewda public at least! Part of the fun of the cock-tails at SBOW is the presentation, and saying the decidedly quirky names out loud. From goli soda bottles and old milk bottles to huge thick glasses, the drinks command attention. Over the course of the afternoon, we tried almost all their SBOW Specials, and also noted that there were beers, wines and hard alcohol aplenty on the bar menu. In other words time to get your drink on! Parsiana (INR 295), a concoction of Old Monk, plums and oranges was a bit cough syrup like, but nice. Daaru Wala Vimto (INR 325) was a potent tequila and five berries mix that won favor across the board, as did the Masala Vodka (INR 315). Sol of Colaba (INR 315) combined vodka and kokum – the latter being a favorite of mine, while the Brandied Bawi (INR 315) brought raspberry, brandy and sours together. Rustom Bantawala (INR 325) was mango plus vodka and the mango lovers on the table were happy people. Next time I want to try the Bloody Bawa – a Parsi version of Bloody Mary – hell yeah!

EEDU MERI JAANEedu, egg, is a constant in Par-si dishes. And to me, egg is and always will be, comfort food. So it went without saying that a few egg dishes came to the table that day. Eggs Kejriwal (INR 195) and Tomato Papeta Par Eeda (INR 165) were both demolished in short order, alongside Spicy Mushroom on Khari (INR 195) – khari bis-cuit topped with mushrooms and cheese, aka more comfort food to the likes of me, Chicken Baida Roti

(INR 275), parantha stuffed with minced chicken and eggs (what is it about a meat stuffed parantha that is so satisfying?!) and Goan Sausage Pao (INR 425). To keep our cholesterol levels elevated, we supplemented these starters with the goodness of batter fried on-ions, the Kanda Bhajji (INR125). Oh and just because I am not mentioning much of the veg fare, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, just that I’m a confirmed non-vegetar-ian!

We were already somewhat full by this point (I feel you rolling your eyes and saying obviously) but we manfully moved on to the mains. Breach Candy Awesome Okra (INR 245) is slivers of fried okra in a lovely masala that will (a) make you forget that you’re eating bhin-di, and (b) make you want to keep crunching! I was excited to try a dish called Bacon Keema Macaro-ni ((INR 425) but wasn’t thrilled with it once it arrived, while the Bhendi Bazaar Sheekh Parantha (INR 325) which I was not initially drawn to, turned out to be superb! You can’t go to a Parsi eatery and not eat Mutton Dhansak (INR 500) or its veg counterpart if you’re so inclined, as well as Paatra Ni Mac-chi (INR 645). Both dishes were expertly executed; special mention for the tiffin carrier presentation of the dhansak. But the star of the show and the dish I will insist on ordering on future visits, is that other Parsi specialty, Berry Pulao (INR 445/475; chicken/mutton). I have a weakness for rice with dry fruits and a hint of sweetness, especially when paired with meat and this one with nuts, berries and fried onions just hit the spot.

CHAI AND CUSTARDDessert had to include Caramel Custard (INR 145) an old stan-dard that many places just don’t get right. Luckily SBOW did not disappoint. I also really loved the Toblerone Mousse (INR 195) which had a rich texture and a wonderful taste. The establishment also boasts a small bakery from where you can procure fresh baked Shrewsbury Biscuits and Naan Khatai. With a father who grew up in Pune, Kayani’s Shrewsbury biscuits are the stuff of legend, and having something akin available locally is a treat…not that it will stop me demanding and cajoling boxes of Shrewsbury from Kayani’s out of Pune-ites! We rounded off this meal with, what else, chai! Irani Special Chai (INR 60), Masa-la Ni Chai (INR 70) and Parsi Choy (INR 80) – black tea delicately flavored with lemongrass and mint helped us kick start our digestive systems, and we left a very happy bunch. One word of warning: if you’re doing valet, expect to wait a bit, given the location and full house. ■

PRICE: INR 2250++ (per person, including wine/beer)

ADDRESS: 25/4, Opposite Harley Davidson Showroom, Lavelle Road, Bangalore

PHONES: +91 7022 255299

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RESTAURANT REVIEW

VINITA BHATIA / MUMBAI

Sociable Vibes

Once a defunct warehouse, Social Offline at Todi Mills is now an airy, split level establishment that eludes description. During the

daytime, work nomads unleash their creative side by paying INR 5000 monthly (redeemable on food and beverages). In the evening, it converts into a watering hole for professionals. On weekends, it transforms into a club with around 1400 people routinely squeezing into a 7000 square-feet space.

Then there’s the décor, where the clever architect has left the mainframe intact with paint stripped beams to let in natural light, but added striking touches. The en-trance is a bright orange metal container; DJ's console is lit by a surgical lamp found in an operation theatre. The music speak-ers are suspended by thick iron chains; the lavatory is corrugated iron sheets bound together, like those in Mumbai’s illegal shanties.

The area is split into two levels, with the upstairs sec-tion serving work-warriors during the day (around 25 people have signed up for the monthly facilities). The

lower level has the main bar, banquette booths lining the sides, tables interspersed on the main floor as well as the DJ’s console and kitchen.

The quirkiness is not limited to the décor, but extends to the cutlery and food presentation. US Mule (INR

Social Offline at Todi Mills is a place of many moods but the common thread is the sight of youngsters at all hours of business. The presentation of the drinks as well as the reasonably priced

food probably has a great deal to do with it.

U.S. Mule, one of the many brilliant drinks at Social Offline

SOCIAL OFFLINE


380) is served in a tin drinking mug used by American soldiers during the US Civil War and poured out of a tin tea kettle; ap-petisers appear in metal measuring canisters used by grocers. Even the ceramic dishes on which the food is served are reminiscent of dinner plates used by Tihar Jail inmates!

HOT STUFFWith most people making a bee-line to the bar, we decided to get drinking, and hit pay dirt with our first choice, Old Smoke (INR 420). The classic combination of Jim Beam with sweet and sour mix with a hint of orange zest oil was so good that it did not need any idiosyncratic presentation.

However, if exhibitionism is your thing, then don’t miss Schizophre-nia (INR 320). The vodka-based cocktail plays peekaboo behind a mirror with a hole through which peeps a straw, whilst the fragrance from incense wafts towards you. As you sip the drink and try to decipher its flavours, you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. God help your dinner companion if you have latent megalomania!

While sipping, we enjoyed Ja-lapeño Cheese Nads (INR 220), served with Sriraja Chunda that we ignored, because the crunchy croquettes with chopped jalapeño and melted cheese were fine as they were. The fussy-reading Dou-ble-Grilled Naga Chilli Cheese Toast (INR 160) flagged off what became a fiery meal, but luckily the cheese balanced the fieriness of the Naga peppers.

Another preparation that almost literally had us breathing fire

was Sriracha Paneer Chilli (INR 160). Looking deceptively like the Paneer Chili at your local Chinese joint, it was tossed in hot Sriracha sauce, leaving a reminder long after it has passed the gullet.

Ditto with the Death Wings (INR 220) that could sear the top por-tion of your tongue off. In fact, Social Offline offers free lemonade to anyone who can finish the entire portion of six chicken wings (we barely managed two)! No wonder the bartender was kept busy – with such spicy dishes on the menu one needed soothing drinks to keep the heartburn at bay, and it explained the many Long Island Iced Teas, served in 500 ml or 1 litre towers, on many tables!

SOME HITS, SOME MISSESSince Chef Shahzad insisted we taste some signature Social Offline dishes, we requested for tasting portions, beginning with bite-sized Pork Belly Pops (INR 250), served with dehydrated curry leaves pow-der and apple-chilli chutney. Pork goes well with most things sweet, but the chutney was neither sweet nor spicy and didn’t lend itself to the dried pops, while the curry leaves would have complemented something moist.

We liked the idea of presenting Laal Maas (INR 210) in a Vada Pao format, making it convenient to eat. The richness of the Kheema Pao (INR 180) is ideal for break-fast, though we would have pre-ferred some Salli Par Eedu instead of the onion rings accompanying it.

Social Offline Colaba had well-publicized moments when it

launched a year ago and the crowd at the new Todi Mills outpost indicates that its sibling is going through a similar phase. The en-duringly cheery staff happily guide you on what to order from the lengthy menu filled with quirky names, whilst the sight of chat-tering people around makes you realise that Social Offline is giving out the right sociable vibes. ■

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PRICE: INR 1800++ (Meal for two)

ADDRESS: 242, Mathuradas Mill Compound, Todi Mills, Lower Parel, Mumbai

ADDRESS: 022 651 10361

4/5

“Schizophrenia,

the vodka-based cocktail plays

peekaboo behind a mirror with a hole

through which peeps a straw,

whilst the fragrance from incense wafts

towards you.


Manu Chandra can be called an experimental culinary artist – after all, he

is credited with coming up with the concept of a gastropub when others chefs were happy flaunting lounge bars and restobars. With entrepreneur AD Singh to support his gastronomic experiments, he has stayed ahead of the food indus-try’s ever-changing curve with a simple mantra – intelligently de-sign quirky dishes by tweaking lo-

cally available produce and present regional dishes differently. Having gained popularity in Bangalore and New Delhi, he decided to replicate the same formula in Mumbai in May 2015.

The décor of Monkey Bar’s Mum-bai outpost follows what is now becoming a norm for most water-ing holes – exposed brick walls, funky posters, wooden slats, pop of colour either in the form of uphol-stery or cutlery. The al fresco area, where we decided to roost, had

RESTAURANT REVIEW

VINITA BHATIA / MUMBAI

The well-liked Monkey Bar’s

Mumbai outpost is funky yet affordable. You can’t help but giggle delightedly while perusing the menu, when you encounter some of the awkward

names of the dishes – which is just

why they’re been placed there! Small,

but definitely not unassuming, after a couple of visits,

you might yourself getting addicted to

this groovy primate-about-town.

This Monkey Does Stop The Show

MONKEY B

AR, M

UM

BAI

The quaint interiors of Monkey Bar in Bandra.

MONKEY BAR


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American diner-styled couches and a foosball table, where young-sters kept gravitating.

The menu is largely influenced by the popular dishes from the Ban-galore and New Delhi bills of fare, because it is better to be safe and comfortable with what is popular than rejig with something com-pletely original. The names of the dishes are so unorthodox that you spend more than a few minutes perusing it, like the Saat Raasta, which is actually a Long Island Iced Tea, or the Shazia Imli.

We, however, settled for the clas-sic gin and tonic drink called GT & Karnal (INR 320), which had cucumber slices and fennel syrup, and summery gin-based Ginger Rogers (INR 320), with ginger ale and peach. What makes both these familiar alcoholic compositions work is the addition of Indian ingredients that gave them a novel twist.

novel INTERPRETATIONSThe menu is strewn with Manu Chandra’s interesting construal of regular food, like the Pani Puri called Adhunik Pani Puri (INR 170). The shell, made in-house, is not as crispy as what you get at your neighbourhood chaatwala. A jiggly sphere rests in its centre, which you pop into your mouth, and it bursts into an explosion of mildly spicy, minty Jal Jeera con-coction.

The Via Amritsar (INR 180) has tangy potato cutlets served with dabs of esoteric raw mango chun-da and extremely stiff whole wheat paratha, and was pretty lacklustre. Instead of serving Galouti Kebab

directly on your plate, the Mobar Galouti (INR 320) is presented under a plastic dome with a flour-ish. The moderately sized delicate kebab is likely to crumble on being lifted from the plate, so the chef has thoughtfully given flour tortilla bases to place them on.

Chef Chandra’s interpretation of Butter Chicken Khichdi (INR 360), seems to be inspired by the Italian risotto; he prepares the two ele-ments separately and then mixes them together. It was comforting and a welcome respite from the molecular gastronomical wonders one otherwise encounters, which are beautiful to behold but rarely satiating.

We ordered the Veggie Burger (INR 280) more for the novelty factor – Monkey Bar is one of the few restaurants that serves black burgers in India. The burger buns are made of burnt aubergine powder, while the patty is created from black rice, lentils and beans and then packed with Portobello mushrooms. Despite its whopping size, the burger left a dry taste in the mouth, unrelieved by the accompanying chutney mayo and jalapeno cheese fondue.

amusing wordplayThe interestingly named Aam Aad-

mi Eggs (INR 200) felt like a cross between a Shakshouka and Salli Per Eedu. It was composed of eggs mixed with tomato, onions, chil-lies, cheese and spicy chutney that have been baked and then made to sit prettily over toasted bread slices, with some fried potato sticks speckled all over.

Since we were in the mood for some real adventure, we decided to try the Naga Pork & Noodle Bowl (INR 420). As the name indicates, the focus of this dish is on the Naga chillies, which was made clear to us not once but twice. We scoffed at this ominous warning, but as we dug into the slow cooked pork belly mixed with fermented bamboo shoots placed on a bed of noodles, we realised their warning was not unfounded. We would suggest you proceed with caution when it comes to this particular dish.

Monkey Bar need not even try to attempt to win over Mumbaikars – its reputation has preceded it. The food and beverages are smartly priced, and their interest-ing presentation will encourage more people to visit the gastropub initially. At the outset, some of the eccentric food experiments work. But over time, ingenuity will have to be tempered with comfort fare. ■


ADDRESS: Summerville, Junction of 14th & 33rd Road, Linking Road, Bandra West, Mumbai

PHONES: 022 301 51853

4/5

“The interestingly named Aam Aadmi

Eggs felt like a cross between a Shakshouka and

Salli Per Eedu


The rustic charm of Khorisa works on you even before you step into the restaurant.

The restaurant’s signage, made of bamboo strips, is simple and elegant. Our hostess and restaurant owner, Nilakshi Handique, explained that Khorisa translates

to bamboo shoot in Assamese. Bamboo is used in several Assamese dishes, hence it felt natural to lend that name to their restaurant.

As you step into its lush environs, you are transported to the lushness that Assam is renowned for. A

distinctly red theme dominates everything, and soft lighting accentuates cute little Assamese artefacts that are proudly displayed all around the place. The creative murals on the walls depict ingredients inherent to Assam, with succinct information about each’s usage and health benefits.

RESTAURANT REVIEW

SHREENIVAS GADEWAR / PUNE

Shreenivas Gadewar

visited Pune’s only Assamese restaurant, and

finds love’s labour found in the form of authentic

flavours, using produce

sourced from the north

east, from an enthusiastic

couple who hail from Assam

themselves and are passionate

about their native cuisine.

Aadaroni Assam, To Aamchi Pune

KHORISA


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RUSTICITY SERVED FRESHIt was our initiation into Assamese cuisine, and we were raring to get started. Our hostess graciously sent out a complimentary portion of Lemon and Coriander Soup and then recommended that we begin with the Thekera Tenga Pani (INR 120), which is mangosteen juice. Both of these reportedly help to build up the appetite and ours definitely did get a fillip.

We picked up the Masor Konir Pakori (INR 150) which looked innocuously like regular pakoras, but were pleasantly surprised to find that they were fish eggs pakodas with a crunchy texture and unique flavour, that went very well with the accompanying sauces. The Patot Diya Mas (INR 250) was another rustic preparation featuring fish that had been mixed with various spices and then wrapped in banana leaves before being barbequed. While this cooking technique is not unusual, what made the dish stand out was the spice mix used to marinate the fish.

The next gastronomical beauty to arrive at our table was the Maas Aru Narasingha (INR 150). Here

the fish is cooked in a curry leaves paste, fiddlehead fern and a mix of elephant apple and coriander paste. It was accompanied by Bora Saul (INR 200) or sticky rice, which has an exotic whiff.

THE FAMED BHUT JHOLOKIAJust when we thought we were full, the Gahori Bhut Jolokia Gravy with Sticky Rice (INR 300) arrived. For the uninitiated, the Bhut Jolokia is one of the spiciest chillies in the world and has its origin in Assam. The host laughed out loud when we said we would like it less spicy. He mocked us by saying it was like going to a rock concert and asking the organizers to keep the volume low.

Notwithstanding the fear pangs in our tummies, we took a leap of faith. Ten minutes of gasping, huffing, puffing and then ten glasses of chilled water later, we decided that it was time for the sweet stuff. We started the grand finale of our virtual trip to Assam with the Payokh (INR 150), an Assamese pudding, made from rice specially brought in from Manipur.

The Mihidana Aru Cream (INR 150) was a delicious preparation

made from sweet, yellow boondi and cream. Given the hot weather, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to indulge in the refreshing Kordoi juice (150) as well, since it is made from the seasonal starfruit.

Given the plethora of items to choose from on the menu, the ingredients for which were mostly sourced from Assam, and an enthusiastic owner couple who are true ambassadors to their culture, Khorisa is an œuvre d'art in the world of Assamese cuisine. So impressed was I by the freshness of the ingredients used that I even picked up a good selection of organic, authentic Assam tea, which I am sure will be miles superior to the CTC dust we get in stores. What more can I say to Khorisa, but a warm Puneri dhonyobaad! ■

PRICE: INR 1200++(meal for two)

ADDRESS: 2nd floor, Seasons Mall, Magarpatta Township, Pune

PHONES: 9422 588050

4/5

“He mocked us by say-ing it was like going

to a rock concert and asking the organizers to keep the volume

low.


When a long pending plan to catch up with friends finally materi-

alised, we zeroed on TGI Friday’s, more because of a great time I had at its Bangalore outpost few years ago with fantastic music, good food and oversized LIITs. I expect-ed the restaurant at Ramee Mall in Teynampet would be on similar lines, but I probably should have been tipped off even before en-tering the restaurant, or the mall. Parking was too easy, especially for a Friday night.

Walking into a deserted and eerily silent mall, I passed the closed stores and creepy window man-nequins wondering if I had the right address. Then I spotted the familiar candy-striped sign at the far end of the mall and when the smiling TGIF hostess welcome me into the establishment, I stepped in with relief and then stopped in my tracks.

A DESULTORY AFFAIRAs I walked the lonely length of the restaurant to where my friends were seated, I could not help ask-ing myself, why was the restaurant deserted? Where were the sounds of merriment, the bustling waiters, the clinking of glasses, the buzz of weekend excitement? I spotted

only two other occupied tables. It was quite an abysmal turnout for such a popular restaurant chain on a weekend night.

The waiter who arrived to take our order transmogrified into a party-pooper when he informed us that none of the famous cock-tails were available that evening as TGIF’s was yet to get its liquor licence. Desperately in need of something tall and cold and sweet, I ordered the first drink my eyes landed on, the Strawberry Surprise (INR 190).

Whilst waiting for the drink, I helped myself to some Fridays Ultimate Nachos (INR 360) and my first mouthful was full of sour and mouth-puckering jalapeño slic-es. The second bite was an action replay of the first!

Deciding to investigate I pushed aside the heap of lettuce on top, to find tortilla chips with a few congealed drops of molten cheese, something that looked like sprout-ed moth beans, a lot of soggy tomato and an overload of sliced jalapeño that completely threw the dish off balance. No soothing guacamole, no tangy sour-cream and no gooey multiple cheeses as promised! For a trademarked appetizer with the word Ultimate in it, not to mention the fact that

RESTAURANT REVIEW

KUKI RAVINDRAN / CHENNAI

You visit certain restaurants because

they evoke warm memories of the good times you

spent there, even if you had visited their outlet in some other

city. That is how Kuki Ravindran felt about TGI Friday’s and landed at the

Ramee Mall outpost. But her experience there was marred with insipid food

and vapid service, making her wonder whether nostalgia

was worth the effort.

TGI Fail!TGI FRIDAYS


it is an easy-to-prepare snack that requires no great skill, this was a big disappointment.

Just then, my Strawberry Surprise arrived and I took a grateful sip. It was delicious. Sweet, cold, fruity and full of little, tart, strawberry jelly-like bits that added a pleas-ant dimension to what could have been a staid drink. My friends liked their drinks as well, a pine-apple and banana smoothie and a green tea!

HOPING FOR BETTERHoping the nachos were an aberra-tion, we decided to order our next round of food, their signature veg-etarian Loaded Potato Skins (INR 399) for my Jain friend and a plate of Fish and Chips (INR 440) for us. After a long wait, the Loaded Potato skins were presented with a flourish – a plate of eight dry looking potato shells with a sparse sprinkling of minced bacon was placed in front of my vegetarian friend. I pointed out that we had asked for Vegetarian Potato Skins and after a moment of hesitation, he admitted a mistake had been made and offered to replace the dish. My friend was worried that the replacement would probably mean tipping the bacon out and replacing the same skins with the vegetarian option, so we cancelled the order.

After yet another long wait, the almost-forgotten Fish and Chips reached us. The plate of crumbed and fried basa filets, served with a side of French fries and tartar sauce, gave off the unmistakable fumes of deep-fat frying, and whilst we could have got around that, the sight of the greasy, oil-

soaked coating on the fish was the final dampener on our collective appetites.

We called for the manager to explain our disappointment and it took another 20 minutes and a couple of reminders for the man-ager to arrive, which was inexpli-cable considering the restaurant was near empty. Once we met him, he explained that kitchen staff was

still learning the ropes and offered to bring us anything from the menu, but by this time, we were ready to leave. We asked for the bill, but he insisted the tab was on the house, which was a gracious move on his part. Nonetheless, the disillusionment of a ruined eve-ning lingered.

It is quite possible that the staff at TGI Friday’s outlet I visited are greenhorns and were having an off-day. I would give them that benefit of the doubt before writing them off entirely. After all, I have some fond memories of the place from the past and hope for nostal-gia’s sake that this outpost gets its act together, and fast. ■

The Oil soaked fish and chips were a huge turn off.

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ADDRESS: Ramee Mall, Anna Salai, Next To Hyatt Regency, Teynampet, Chennai

PHONES: 044 430 15978

2/5

“Once we met him, he explained that

kitchen staff was still learning the ropes

and offered to bring us anything from the

menu, but by this time, we were ready

to leave.


Those of you who have grown up on Archie comics, or have even read them in the random comic strips

in the odd newspapers from time to time, could not have missed out one character – Pop Tate. He was the portly owner of the soda parlor where Archie and his gang from Riverdale would spend most of their waking hours hanging out drinking soda pops.

The old fashioned soda parlor with its antiquated jukebox might be the stuff of nostalgia. But the lure of fizzy drinks while chilling with friends, especially by the beach front, is still as popular today as it was decades ago.

Do you doubt our words? Then just step over to the Jumeirah Beach Residence any day of the week and take a look at the hard-to-miss shiny chrome truck that is parked there. Chances are you will see youngsters sitting on the high, red coloured bar stools there, waving their glasses of beverages and talking nineteen to the dozen, at Soda Font!

MIXOLOGY 101Soda Font brings back the era of beach indulgence when people could experience unfettered fun while sipping on their retro-style soda floats. Their drinks take inspiration from the 1950s, when sodas, which were formerly con-sumed for medicinal reasons, were slowly nudged into the region of pleasure.

We decided to commence our soda expedition with the old-school Original Coke Float (AED 30) ice-cream soda. Topped with a scoop of ice-cream and a sinful layer of whipped cream, we were definitely in for something heavenly. What elevated the taste of the drink was the distinct flavour of the cola. On asking our server we learnt that Soda Font mainly used Fentimans beverages, which are botanically brewed and contain all the fla-vour and goodness from the finest natural ingredients. This results in an invigorating and full-fla-voured taste. Ours is not usually to question why, especially when the drink is, well, delicious and dec-adent – the two D’s that we find hard to resist.

RESTAURANT REVIEW

SACHI KUMAR / DUBAI

Sugar on the brim, layered with syrup, and completed with delicious ice cream – that is the image that soda desserts conjure up. These are the enchanting drinks available at Soda Font in Dubai,

and its shiny chrome truck parked at Jumeirah Beach

Residence adds to its lure.

Pop Goes This Float

SODA FONT


Being avid experimenters and following the suggestion of our attendant we opted for the Whip It Real Good (AED 30). An orange and mandarin soda variation to the classic float this was complet-ed with a Yuzu cream. It not only added a zesty twist to the classics but also stayed true to its name. It was refreshing and soothing and our senses, which were a little frazzled from the relentless Dubai heat, were completely revived.

SWEET SOPHISTICATIONBeing an ardent fan of berries I knew I would repent over missing out on their homemade sodas, namely the Chuck Berry (AED 30), which was a delightful blend of raspberry and rose cordial, choco-late, apple and soda. What piqued my interest was not only its combi-nation of sweetness and tanginess but also the way the drink was encased in a plastic bag and knot-ted at the top where the straw was inserted to sip from.

Apart from boasting a menu filled with a delectable range of sodas, Soda Font’s menu also comprises iced coffees, which is what got me to trying The Utter Nutter (AED 25). A fascinating brew of filtered Illy coffee, almond milk with infusions of noisette and Amaretto syrup, the two infused ingredients

seemed to add a distinctive flavour to the iced coffee, which was well appreciated by my companion.

Right now, Soda Font does not offer any nibbles, other than hot dogs, which is unfortunate, but the brand plans to add more dishes. Located on the prime beachfront, it is an unconventional concept that has resurrected the soda cul-ture with a quirky twist. It invites you to embrace the magnificent Dubai sunset, soak your legs into the sand, while you sip on one of these delectable sodas, hopefully with your own gang of friends surrounding you. ■

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PRICE: AED 80 (meal for two)

ADDRESS: The Beach, Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai

PHONES: +971 555804890

4/5

“An orange and mandarin soda variation to the

classic float this was completed with a Yuzu cream. It not only added a zesty twist to the classics but also stayed true

to its name.

The Utter Nutter, a fascinating brew of filtered Illy coffee, almond milk with infusions of noisette and Amaretto syrup.


In Italian, Ai Fiori means ‘among the flowers’ and phrase is the essence of the dining experience at this beautiful Michelin-starred

restaurant in New York. Located within the Langham Place Hotel, the restaurant prides itself in presenting traditional Italian food, reimagined through a modern lens.

Celebrated chef Michael White’s signature pastas are probably the most popular, but there is much more in the Italian/French Riviera cuisine-based menu. After a delightful carrot palate cleanser, we

decided to order the restaurant’s recommended four-course Prix Fixe menu ($97 per person), where you sample an appetizer, pasta or risotto, a main and a dessert. There are around 7 choices within each course, so my dining partner and I tried 8 different dishes together during the course of our evening.

We ordered a couple of cocktails ($16) recommended by our server. Royal Blush was a mix of Stolichnaya vodka and sparkling wine, freshened with mint and lime, brightened with a morello cherry, while Fiori d’Arancio was a warming medley of Old Forester

bourbon, Ramazzotti (an Italian bitter), Blandy’s madeira and orange peel. We also ate delicious, warm bread (sourdough sesame

RESTAURANT REVIEW

CHARIS ALFRED BHAGIANATHAN / NEW YORK

Ai Fiori is artistically lit, primarily with

candles, and decorated in tones

of dull gold, and runs like a well-oiled machine. Service is

lightning fast and the staff watch you like unobtrusive hawks – seeing you at all

times, but you never feel their lingering

gaze. And the food is not just exquisitely

presented, but balanced in terms of flavour and texture.

Dinner Amidst Flowers

Insalata di Astice

AI FIORI


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and wheat) that we smothered with room-temperature butter and dipped in pristine olive oil. awesome PRESENTATIONsTo begin, we chose Torchon, a stunningly presented plate of foie gras with juicy slices of dark plum, roasted almond bits and mint, served with toasted brioche. Cutting into that yielding circle of smooth foie gras and then spreading it on to warm bread, made me think – meat butter.

My partner tried the Insalata di Astice – a Nova Scotia lobster terrine with asparagus, prosciutto and herbs. The terrine itself looked like a piece of mosaic where the pale pink of the lobster meat, the dark green of the green asparagus and the light grey of the white asparagus were the colours the artist chose. The prosciutto wrapped around it added a savoury saltiness that paired well with the delicate lobster meat.

For our pasta course, I tried the Trofie Nero, a Ligurian crustacean ragu with sepia (cuttlefish), scallops and seasoned breadcrumbs. The curly pasta coloured in cuttlefish ink was a dark navy in colour and the small scallop pieces stood out like bright white pearls, adding sweetness while the breadcrumbs gave much needed crunch to this decadent dish. The other pasta dish was simply called Spaghetti, but packed a punch with bold flavours of blue crab, lemon, chilli and bottarga (salted and cured grey mullet/tuna roe). BEYOND ANTICIPATIONThe third course, comprising

Astice and Tagliata, exceeded all expectations. The former had a small, buttery, completely intact lobster, shelled perfectly. The morels added a creamy earthiness, the asparagus strips gave bite and crispness, and Chateau Chalon sauce, a complex wine sauce made with chicken stock, carrots, celery, onion, lemon, butter and Chateau Chalon wine, wrapped the whole dish in its comforting arms.

The Tagliata featuring medium rare beef needed to only be gently

prodded with the knife to cut through. The purple endive was deliciously bitter, while the rich, meaty Bordelaise sauce and sweet, acidic balsamic vinegar played together in harmony. Having enjoyed our three courses so immensely, we wondered if the fourth and final course would live up to the same standard. We decided to order one chocolate dessert, Crema di Cioccolato, which was dark chocolate, a malted mousse and olive oil gelato, and

a Panna Cotta with blackberries, candied almonds and a plum granita. GRINNING WITH DELIGHTWhile waiting we decided to spoil ourselves with some sweet wines – a sparkling Brachetto d’Acqui ($13) and spice and fruit flavoured Barolo Chinato ($15). When the desserts arrived, we couldn’t stop smiling – perhaps it was the wine, but I think it was the beauty of the dishes.

The Panna Cotta immediately took me back to the name Ai Fiori – and that serene and beautiful sense of being among the flowers. The white, wobbly Panna Cotta in the middle of the plate tasted of honey, surrounded by a pink and purple selection of edible flowers, mini meringues, berries and a sharp and slightly sour plum granita that balanced out the sweetness. The Crema di Cioccolato comprised a layered and textured malt mousse encircled in a cylinder of dark chocolate with a creamy, delicately salty olive oil gelato on the side.

At Ai Fiori, the food is not just exquisitely presented; the artist is also an excellent chef because every dish is balanced in terms of flavour and texture. The innovation and service is well worthy of the Michelin-star as is the unforgettable experience of dining ‘among the flowers’. ■

PRICE: US $97(prix-fixe, per person)

ADDRESS: 400, 5th Ave #2, New York

PHONES: +1 212 613 8660

4/5

“The terrine in the Insalata di Astice

looked like a piece of mosaic where

the pale pink of the lobster meat, where

the dark green of the green asparagus and the light grey of the white asparagus were the colours the

artist chose.


TIFFINS,RELOADED!


Tiffins were simple meals that sustained children throughout their time away from home and hearth, until arrived the age of multi-tasking and enhanced convenience, after which the nutritional value of tif-fins plummeted and the number of empty calories skyrocketed. In this month's cover story we explore the different aspects of a child's lunch.


COVER STORY TIFFINS, RELOADED by SID KHULLAR

Packed lunches for school used to be a simple thing, not thought about much more than basic nu-

trition, likes and dislikes. At the time, moderation, balanced meals, seasonal produce and the use of local ingredients were the norm, than the exception they are today. I'm speaking of a recent past, since when we appear to have discovered the deliciousness of over-indul-gence, lost the meaning of balance, revel in consuming out of season produce and can't wait to show off our stock of ingredients from far away lands. I'm speaking of an age of convenience where one of the first things to suffer, is our food, especially that of our children.

Packed lunches were as simple as freshly made dry lentils or vege-tables, with a wedge of pickle and a few parathas liberally slathered with ghee. I don't remember much variation from this theme from my school days, except for my own lunches around the age of 12. A member of our domestic staff would pop by school with a large tiffin carrier, which he would place on a pink stone bench in the yard, and proceed to unpack our lunch. This school-day afternoon meal was usually a vegetable prepara-tion, lentils, a salad, whipped yo-gurt, pickle and rotis or parathas, which my younger brother and I would pounce on and make short work of.

CONVENIENCE VERSUS EFFECTIVENESSWhile convenience is good, it

tends to encourage us to strive towards even greater convenience, which usually leads to shortcuts, some of which aren't the sort we should be taking. Pizzas or burgers for lunch, accompanied by fries and a sweet, aerated drink can be a satisfying meal as well as represent a fair chunk of time saved, but also points to a large meal almost com-pletely devoid of nutritional value. This, when it becomes a regular practice, affects the nutritional profiles of our children - do they really have balanced, nutritionally complete diets? Add to that lunch-es that have cakes, cookies, fries, pizzas and so on, and you'll won-der where our kids receive the bulk of their nutrition?

Breakfasts are usually hurried af-fairs and the child needs the ener-gy to keep going till late afternoon. Are sugary, refined flour-laden,

deep fried dishes all we have to feed our kids with? A portion of protein, carbohydrates and vegeta-bles are a must for young children, each of which provide much need-ed elements for their healthy and continued growth, both mental and physical.

Think of chopping and blanching differently colored vegetables to deliver a gay visual when the box is first opened - perhaps a whole-grain wrap with a melange of car-rots, peas and yellow bell peppers within, which looks good as well as includes much needed nutritive elements, not to mention a small dose of fibre too. Add a couple of baked potato patties with soya granules into this and pack a fruit and a bottle of water, and your tiffin is sure to be received well! Garima Sarolia Narera, a home-maker who has raised two strap-


COVER STORYTIFFINS, RELOADED

ping young men says, "Raising two boys and making them tiffin happy - major challenges both! There are, however, some basics I always adhered to. The grain was always wholewheat and the box had to have a fruit and veggie serving. Chapatis and paranthas didn't cut much ice with the kids but calzones and stuffed rolls made them happy. Vegetable loaded fried rice or noo-dles, vegetable cutlets with whole wheat rolls and veg and cheese sandwiches were always hits - empty tiffins and happy tummies came home."

NUTRITIVE ELEMENTS OF TIFFINGrowing children have different needs from our own. This is true not only from a physiological point of view, it is also applicable due to their activity levels, both physical and mental. Whole grains are needed for energy and given the ease of using whole grain doughs to stuff and wrap within, it should be the first thing you start with when packing a child's lunch. While the easiest way to use whole grains in tiffins is sliced bread, consider using rotis, parathas, pita and lavash among other possibilities. Since whole grains take longer to digest than other refined flours like maida, they are likely to keep children full longer and

should be your first choice. Protein and vegetables should be your second port of call. Protein is required to build muscle tissue and is an important dietary component for children. If you're a non-vegetarian, consider using boiled and shredded chicken breast mixed with mayonnaise to stuff a sandwich or wrap. If you're a vegetarian or would like to send vegetarian lunches to school, you could use boiled kidney beans and any of the many different types of lentils to create interesting fillings. Fruits are a great way to deliver energy, nutrients and fibre into your children's diets. Fresh or dried, always add a single piece of fruit to your child's lunches. Finally, remember to include a bottle of water so your child stays well hydrated. Chef Nitin Pal Singh, a Food Consultant and a father of two thinks, "I believe children’s tiffins should be ap-pealing as children love colors and at the same time it should be healthy, satisfying and nutritionally well bal-anced. The food item should be easy to handle and not cumbersome as kids have to eat it. The tiffin should be such that it can stay in the tiffin for at least 3-4 hours so it should have a good shelf life. Also kids usually don't want the tiffins to be repetitive. School tiffin or lunch should contain generous portions of proteins and veg-


COVER STORY TIFFINS, RELOADED

gies to retain energy for the whole day. Looking at the fast food trend I prefer my kids have supper that is a combination of health, nutrition and taste."

THE INCREASING ROLE OF SCHOOLSSchools have of late, become willing participants in the dietary regime of their students, especial-ly those in smaller grades. Apart from keeping an eye on the food served in canteens, teachers also actively influence the contents of lunchboxes by asking parents

to vary the theme every so often. Themes not only keep the child engaged with their food, it also en-courages the use of different types of foods in the making of chil-dren's lunchboxes. A green theme for instance, could encourage add-ing loads of spinach to foods, with amusing shapes to keep children interested in a vegetable that is traditionally rejected by most kids. Apart from kids, such themes also get homemakers into the swing of things and transform a mundane activity into one that's a little more challenging.

In fact, studies have suggested that low intensity preschool healthy weight intervention program can improve certain weight related be-haviours in children, thus helping prevent disorders like childhood obesity among others. French schools have taken this to the next level. Not only are meals at French schools well balanced and thought through, meal plans are prepared well in advance and even sent to a dietitian, who corrects it for balance. This attention to dietary detail is one of the reasons


believed to be behind the low rate of obesity and relat-ed illnesses among French children, and indeed, the French general population. Most Indian schools do not serve meals to children and children usually bring tiffins from home.

While the involvement of schools in what's in these tiffins can be seen as unwanted interference, it helps keep homemakers out of falling into patterns of con-venience, knowing that a note from the teacher might be the result of packing a lunch of fries and ketchup. Bindu Gupta, an educator, says that, "Tiffin food should be varied, handy and interesting. Children al-ways look into each other's tiffins, so they must be given something that can be shared with friends and eaten without getting too messy. Tiffin food should preferably be one that can be eaten with a spoon or fork, especially considering many children have yet to learn the habit of regular hand-washing."

While colors and shapes are good to keep children excited about their lunches, it is important to under-stand tiffins from a dietary angle too. In order to keep hunger away, energy levels optimum and minds alert until late afternoon, it is important to ensure a child's lunch include a serving of protein, two of carbohy-drates, fruit and a dairy product. Most experts suggest however, that carbs should ideally be comprised of

whole grains, as refined flour cause spikes in blood sugar levels - going up and coming down sharply - and do little for overall health. In any case, they argue, most children have enough cakes and crisps in their diet already. While low-fat diets aren't recommended for children under two years of age, children above that age should be infrequently exposed to high-fat, high-salt and sweet foods, while also teaching them the benefits of eating balanced diets and everything in moderation. Arjun Shankar, Founder & CEO of Care Mantra, says, "Pack a light meal balanced in proteins and carbohydrates. Salads with nuts and sprouts add protein which keep the child's blood sugar levels even through those late afternoons at school. Refined carbo-hydrates and sweets will raise the blood sugar quickly but cause just as sudden a drop, leaving the child tired mid afternoon. Sandwiches with vegetables or fish/chicken are good for example."

Packing lunches can become a boring activity, but that doesn't have to be the case. Becoming involved with your child's nutritional requirements, observing her behavior, energy and hunger levels, getting your child involved with her meals and finally taking the format of packed lunches as a challenge will ensure each day brings with it a fresh dose of interest for you and contribute to making the packing of lunches an engaging and interesting activity. ■

COVER STORYTIFFINS, RELOADED


COVER STORY RECIPES

BARBECUED CHICKEN BURGER WITH COLESLAWServes: 1 • Preparation: 20 minutes • Assembly: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS100 gms Chicken breast, boil and shred

25 gms Carrots, peel and finely chop25 gms Cabbage, finely chop

10 gms Mayonnaise5 gms Barbecue Sauce

2 Whole grain Burger Buns, halve and toast2 Lettuce leaves, wash and trim

METHOD1. Mix shredded chicken breast with barbecue sauce, then season. Divide into two portions.2. Mix Mayonnaise with julienned carrots and cabbage, then season. This is coleslaw.3. Line bottoms of buns with lettuce leaves. Add a portion of shredded chicken. Top with

coleslaw and a little more barbecue sauce if you like.4. Cover with top halves of buns.

Tip: Replace chicken with tofu, paneer or soya granules if you like. If using tofu or paneer, simply crumble and mix with the barbecue sauce. If using soya, cook as per packet instruc-tions, drain and squeeze, add a little boiled and mashed potato to hold it together and then mix with the barbecue sauce. You can also add sliced tomatoes and/or cucumber to the burger if you like.


COVER STORY RECIPES

SWEET SANDWICH WITH FRUITS AND CREAM CHEESEServes: 1 • Preparation: 20 minutes • Assembly: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTSAssorted fruits and berries, prepared as necessary (sliced or whole), preferably seedless

Cream CheeseHandful of Basil and Mint Leaves, finely chop

Honey4 Slices of Whole grain sliced bread, toast

METHOD1. Spread toast generously with cream cheese.2. Top with fruits3. Sprinkle with chopped basil and mint leaves4. Drizzle with honey5. Cover with another piece of toasted whole grain bread

Tip: Use the fruits your kid loves, but ensure there are no seeds within, and only use fruits that aren't very juicy or the sandwiches will end up soggy. Think of berries, bananas, peach-es and the like.


COVER STORY RECIPES

SOFT EGG AND ROCKET SANDWICHServes: 1 • Preparation: 20 minutes • Assembly: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS2 Eggs, soft boiled

Cheese SpreadRocket Leaves, washed

Freshly cracked black pepper4 Slices of Whole grain sliced bread, toast

METHOD1. Spread toast generously with cheese.2. Shred rocket leaves and place on toast3. Place halved eggs, yolk side down, on the toast4. Sprinkle with black pepper5. Cover with another piece of toasted whole grain bread

Tip: To soft boil eggs, place eggs in a pan, cover with water, bring to a boil, turn off the heat and let stand for up to 2 minutes in the water. Mayonnaise goes beautifully with eggs, which you may like to try using in this sandwich. Optionally, squeeze a few drops of lemon over the eggs if your kid doesn't like the smell of eggs too much.


COVER STORY RECIPES

SPINACH AND EGG WRAPServes: 1 • Preparation: 20 minutes • Assembly: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS2 Whole wheat flour tortillas/rotis

2 Eggs, hard boiled, reserve yolks, finely chop whites2 tbsp Hoisin Sauce2 tbsp Mayonnaise

1 cup Spinach Leaves, wash and chiffonade1 Tomato, wash, halve, remove pulp, julienne

1 Yellow Bell Pepper, wash and julienneFreshly cracked black pepper

2 Large leaves of Lettuce

METHOD1. Spread a tablespoon each of mayonnaise and hoisin sauce on each tortilla/roti.2. Crumble a yolk each, over the tortillas/rotis, then place a lettuce leaf on each.3. Add a layer of spinach, followed by the chopped eggs.4. Add a layer of tomato and bell pepper.5. Sprinkle over the black pepper.6. Roll tightly.

Tip: Consider making dal rotis or other and stuffing leftover vegetables along with fresh salad vegetables in the wrap.


COVER STORY RECIPES

LETTUCE PARCELS WITH SPICY CHICKENServes: 1 • Preparation: 20 minutes • Assembly: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS5 Whole Iceberg Lettuce Leaves

1 cup Chicken Breast, boiled and shredded1 tsp Chili Sauce

1/2 cup Noodles, boil and drain1/2 tsp Soy Sauce

3 tbsp Sweet Chili Sauce5 tbsp Spring Onions, chopped

METHOD1. Mix the shredded chicken with all the ingredients except the lettuce leaves.2. Place chicken mixture in leaves, wrap carefully and place in tiffin fold side down.

Tip: Stuff these convenient parcels with anything you know your child likes. They are easy and quick to make and very versatile.

Recipes Courtesy: Sid Khullar


HEALTH

FAQSUHOOR FOR KIDS

HEALTHY FASTING FOR KIDS,

RAMADANSuhoor, the most important meal of the day in Ramadan, makes fasting easier and tolerable. But what should it include to be a healthy balanced meal? Especially when it comes to kids who are fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.

Suhoor is the most important meal during Ramadan as it replaces breakfast. It helps jumpstart the metabolism and gives the en-ergy that will sustain the devout till Iftar, the meal when they break their day-long fast.

While Suhoor is important for adults, it is even more crucial for kids who observe this rigid fast, as it affects their physical performance and mental alertness during their active day. Now, fasting is usually not

advised for children under the age of seven or eight, but those who are older are gradually guided into the principles of following roza, by their elders.

Kids who don’t eat Suhoor may become tired at school and lose concentration in class. Skipping Suhoor also deprives them from getting all their nutritional needs and most of their essential nutrients for their growing bodies such as iron and calcium.

TYPES OF FOOD TO BE INCLUDED IN SUHOORIt is important to choose the right variety of food for your children during Suhoor including complex carbohy-drates, fiber and lean protein. Complex carbohydrates are slowly absorbed into the body and release energy slowly during the long hours of fasting. These are found in fiber-rich foods such as wholegrain breads and break-fast cereals. Therefore it is highly recommended to have at least half of your grains in-take from whole grain foods.

THIS

by Vinita Bhatia with inputs from Sarah Kanaan, Child Nutrition Expert at Nestlé Middle East


HEALTH

FAQSUHOOR FOR KIDS

WHOLE GRAINS, ALL THE WAYWhole grains are products that contain all the three natural parts of the grain. The first part, which is called the germ, nourishes the seed and is rich in B vi-tamins and Iron. The second layer, which is called the endosperm, provides energy to the grain, and con-tains carbohydrates and B vitamins. The third part, or outer shell of the grain is called bran and is the main source of fiber.

Interestingly, not a single component stands out in delivering health benefits, irrespective of what the TV commercials would like us to believe. Rather, it is the combination found in whole grains which work together.

Whole grains can be found in a variety of cereals, in-cluding wheat, oats, barley, rice, and corn. Picking the right types of grain can sometimes be confusing, so if you are picking up a cereal box for breakfast, it is best to always check the label to be sure if a food is made with whole grains.

As a general rule, consider your Suhoor as your breakfast meal consumed at an early timing. Explore

healthier food items during Suhoor such as semi-skimmed milk, fruits, whole grain breads, low-salt cheeses and whole grain breakfast cereals, making sure you switch your kids from consuming refined grains to whole grains, which can be as simple as sub-stituting refined cereals with whole grain cereals.

But while your child might be excited about fasting during Ramadan, especially if he or she is doing it for the first time, make it a point to monitor your little one’s well being through the day and be alert for signs of fatigue and uneasiness. Ensure that they get all the essential nutrients through a well-balanced diet during Suhoor and Sehri. And also encourage them through the initial days of fasting, which are the most crucial ones during the month of Ramadan. It will boost their willpower and keep their spirits high. ■

5 SUHOOR TIPS FOR YOUR KIDS

• Even though the thought of sleep may be far more appealing than waking up, make sure your child doesn’t skip Suhoor. Prepare Suhoor with your kids before they sleep so it is ready when they wake up.

• For a wholesome and nutritious Suhoor prepared in minutes, whole grain cereals with milk and fruit is one good choice! You can add unsalted almonds and nuts to the bowl for addi-tional proteins.

• Give your kids a well-balanced Suhoor meal that includes complex carbohydrates, fiber and lean proteins to keep them going throughout the day. And always keep in mind that water is key to healthy hydration!

• Always read the label. Make sure that your child is consuming cereals that clearly state they are made with whole grains.

• Refrain from choosing salty or sweet food to avoid feeling thirsty or hungry.


SELAMATAN: THE INDONESIAN THANKSGIVING

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOURS

When the Indonesians want to give thanks to the Almighty for wishes fulfilled they gather together their family and friends for Selamatan - a celebratory feast where food and gladness is in abundance. After all, like Oscar Wilde once famously said, “After a good dinner, one can forgive anybody, even one's own relations.”

If you have an Indonesian neighbour, and we hope you are privileged enough to have one, then you will be lucky to be invited to a Sela-matan at least once. For someone who had the fortune to attend one of them, we can tell you it

was quite an eye opener.

The Selamatan is a thanksgiving meal that the Indo-nesian family organises for a wish fulfilled or a prayer granted. “Basically it is a time for celebration by people to show their gratitude, whether for the birth of a child or a marriage in the family, the purchase of a house or plentiful harvest,” explains Chef Ridwan Hakim, Executive Sous Chef, Plaza Keraton Luxury Collection Jakarta, who was recently at The Westin Pune.

While it is not compulsory to organise a Selamatan, most Indonesians arrange for one nonetheless to share their happiness with the people they love. They believe that the good fortune will come by praying together and breaking bread together.

Interestingly, this Selamatan is not a tradition that is limited to Indonesia alone. Even Sudanese and Java-nese people follow it, though there are slight changes in their customs. For instance, the Indonesian begins the meal with Nasi Tumpeng (rice cones with a side dish), while the Java celebration starts with Gudeg (stewed young jackfruit).

A COMMUNAL AFFAIRThere was a time when the Selamatan feast was or-ganized in mosques and was enjoyed only by men of the village. Today the celebratory feast has moved to the homes and has become a closed family affair to involve the womenfolk and people from other com-munities as well.

“In the villages, the men are seated in one room while the women sit separately in another room. In the ur-ban cities though, the men sit on one side of the room while the women sit alongside another side of the room,” says Nyugen Razak, an Indonesian national now settled in Pune.

The celebrations begin with prayers together. The host usually does not eat or serve the food, instead overseeing that the guests are taken care of properly.

THE FOOD TAKES CENTER STAGEThe main dish is the ornate Nasi Tumpeng, a yel-low-coloured, cone-shaped rice dish that is steamed in a container made from bamboo strips. It is served on a banana leaf along with, along with various as-sortments like Rendang (Beef curry), Ayam Goreng (fried chicken), Emapl Gepuk (fried beef slices cooked in a sweet and spicy sauce), Sayur-Sayuran (assorted cooked vegetables) Sambal Goreng Ati (spicy liver), boiled eggs and other dishes. “The tow-ering height of the rice is to a testimony to the tow-ering greatness of Allah, while the assortments is the

by Vinita Bhatia


host’s offer of thanks for the bounty that the almighty has blessed him with. Usually, the guest of honour at the Selametan has the honour of cutting the top of the Nasi Tumpeng,” explains Nyugen.

Some dishes are must-haves in the Selamatan feast however, like the Gudeg. “It originally comes from Yogyakarta city in central Java island, and is the signa-ture dish of that city. Made from the young jackfruit, it is stewed with coconut milk palm sugar, galangal, Salam leaf and many other ingredients,” adds Chef

Ridwan. Another mainstay dish is the Tempeh, which is fermented soy bean covered with mold. Then there is Kerupuk, which are deep fried crackers that could be made from shrimp, soy bean or bitter nuts.

We asked Chef Ridwan is there are any dos and don’ts that we need to keep in mind when it comes to par-ticipating in Selamatan to avoid making any faux pas. He lists out just two –greet the host and don’t take the top of the cone unless you are the guest of honour! ■

PISANG GORENGSERVES: 3

INGREDIENTS3 bananas, sliced

lengthwiseOil, for frying

For Batter300 gm all-purpose

flour

100 gm rice flour 25 gm sugar

1 tsp salt200 ml water

60 gm margarine100 ml milk

METHOD1. Mix all the ingredient for making batter. 2. Heat oil in a deep frying pan. 3. Dip the sliced bananas into batter until coat-

ed well. 4. Gently lower into the hot oil and fry till gold-

en brown.5. Drain excess oil in tissue paper. Serve hot.

NASI GORENGSERVES: 3

INGREDIENTS2 tbsp oil

1 egg, beaten1 tbsp boiled chicken,

shredded1 spring onion2 garlic cloves,

chopped1 carrot, chopped100 gm boiled rice

15 gm prawns1 capsicum, chopped100 gm boiled peas

20 gm chili paste 2 Pak Choi leaves

1 shrimp 10 ml sweet soya

sauce

METHOD1. Heat a wok over medium heat. Add 2 tea-

spoons oil. Swirl to coat. 2. Add egg. Swirl to coat base. Cook for 1

minute. Transfer to a board. Roll up. Cut into thin strips.

3. Put the wok back on heat and increase heat to high. Add remaining oil.

4. Add chicken. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or un-til just cooked through. Transfer to a plate.

5. Add onion, garlic, and carrot to wok. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until onion has soft-ened.

6. Add rice, prawns, capsicum, peas and sim-mer the heat. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Add all the other ingredients.

7. Return chicken and three-quarters of the egg. Stir-fry for 3 minutes or until heated through.

8. Spoon it into plate. Top with remaining egg. Serve hot with some vegetable broth on the side.

Recipes courtesy - Chef Ridwan Hakim, Executive Sous Chef, Plaza Keraton Luxury Collection Jakarta


RISE, GRIND

AND SHINE

IF YOU CAN’T DO WITH-OUT YOUR CUP OF COFFEE

AND KEEP HEADING TO THE LOCAL CAFÉ BECAUSE YOU JUST CAN’T GET THE HANG OF BREWING A CUP

THAT IS TO DIE-FOR BY YOURSELF, FRET NOT. BEN

MORROW, AN AWARD-WIN-NING LATTE ARTIST FROM

MELBOURNE, SHARES SOME TIPS WITH VINITA

BHATIA ON HOW TO MAKE A QUALITY CUP OF JOE.

TIPS & TREATSby BEN MORROW

When it comes to transmutation of matter, why bother about turning

metal into gold when you have something even simpler and just as cherished closer at hand? We are referring to that wonderful elixir that most of us wake up to daily and then use for sustenance throughout the day – coffee! In fact, for many it is the best part of the day and what makes us tolerant of, and to, those around us!

Sadly, most of us abuse this won-derful draught, not because we do not love it, but because we do not know how to prepare it correctly. Now, Melbourne is considered to be the coffee capital of Australia and has a very strong café culture, due to which the citizens of this bohemian city take their coffee ethos very seriously. Benjamin William Essex Morrow, or Ben

Ben grinds a fresh batch of beans for a cup of coffee

VARUN IN

AM

DAR


Morrow, is an innovator who has explored the beverage extensively for years and designed unique café designs that have won him top places in café championships. He was recently in India as part of a Tourism Victoria initiative to educate people about the coffee culture that has rampantly taken over Melbournians, where some cafés even offer a tantalizing array of alternatives for café aficiona-dos, including syphons, filters and French pressed coffee. Ben shared some tips on how to brew a worthy cup of coffee, which we suggest you pay close attention to. THE RIGHT IMPLEMENTSChoosing this would depend on the kind of drink that you love. If you love filter, then an Aero Press is one of the best go-to methods at the moment. In the right hands, it makes sweet, clean and delicious coffee.

If you are more of an espresso person, you will need a little more power. Ben recommends looking into La Marzocco Linea Single group for their strong coffee. The Linea is an espresso workhorse and easily available. It makes fantas-tic espresso and has more than enough power to steam exceptional milk.

EASE OF PURCHASE AND MAINTENANCEIn Melbourne, Ben uses the Aero Press, which is cost-effective, easy to clean and portable. It is basical-ly a pipe with a rubber stopper and a filter cap, so it is hard to go wrong there.

If you cannot get it from a retail store, you can buy it off the internet. While buying it online, look for

options that are not priced at more than $50AUD. As for the Linea Single Group, La Marzocco has a facto-ry outlet in Mumbai, India. If you get in touch with them, they can ship throughout India.Do keep in mind that espresso machines are a luxury item. So, they go for around $6,000AUD.

PRE-GROUND COFFEE BEANS OR COFFEE GRINDER?Ideally, freshly ground coffee is the best. By grinding coffee when you want to brew a pot, you effectively

An Aero Press with a cup below for the coffee

TIPS & TREATS


increase its surface area. In layman's terms, this means that the beans will react faster with

the environment. Eventually, this causes it to lose its flavour in a day or two.

Using a grinder, therefore, would be ideal. The coffee will last longer and taste fuller if you keep it as whole bean and grind on demand.

WATER TEMPERATUREThe water temperature for brewing coffee should be 92-93 degrees for espresso. In the French press, use boiling water.

This aside, it is also important to keep in mind the ratio of water to the coffee, or if you like milk/cream in your brew, then the ratio of these to the coffee. Ben suggests 19gm of coffee to 45ml of water when it comes to an espresso machine, and 18gm of coffee

to 250ml water in an Aero Press. The strength of the espresso comes into play here. Ideally, one espresso to 150ml of milk is ideal for Ben.

SELECTING COFFEE BEANSFor a country that has been used to using premixes and is just realising the joy of grinding coffee beans, selecting the right kind of coffee beans can be a dif-ficult task. It is therefore crucial to source a company that is reputable and buy the right product. At St Ali, Melbourne, when Ben works, he claims that they are meticulous about sourcing the best green coffee across the globe, which makes all the difference.

Invest the time to find the perfect roast curve for your coffee. Past that, make sure you use a coffee that is ideal for the device you have. For example, filter roast for French press. If you are confused about the pro-cess to follow, find a good gourmet store or trusted café and speak to the head barista there. Buy a small quantity of coffee beans under their guidance and get these ground and roasted at the store. Try it and see how you like it and if you do, then you can go for higher quantities.

TIPS & TREATS

"FOR A COUNTRY THAT HAS BEEN USED TO USING PREMIXES AND IS JUST REALISING THE JOY OF GRINDING COFFEE BEANS, SELECTING THE RIGHT KIND OF COFFEE BEANS CAN BE A DIFFICULT TASK."

- BEN MORROW

Vinita Bhatia with Ben Morrow

In 2015, Ben Morrow placed third in the World Coffee Masters and second in the Australian Latte Art Championships. In 2014, he won the Aroma Latte Art Smackdown. In the same year, he took the third place in the Barrel One Latte Art Smackdown, second place in the ASCAA Smackdown Series Melbourne, second spot in the Almond Breeze Smackdown and first spot in the Common Grounds Latte Art Smackdown.


TIPS & TREATS

STORING COFFEE BEANSWhen it comes to whole coffee beans, the ideal time to drink the product is between 4 to 14 days. The first few days the coffee bean releases lot of carbon dioxide after being roasted. That can make it taste a little off balance. Ideally, store the beans in a cool, dark and dry place. Once it is past its peak, it will start becom-ing a bit weak on flavour. Some of the words you can use to describe this taste are flat, bland, underwhelm-ing, boring and lacklustre.

BREWING TIMENow that you have the beans, the coffee machine and everything else on hand, you think you are all ready to fix a perfect cup of Joe, right? Well, there is one more detail you need to keep in mind – the brewing time.

This depends on the type of coffee beans you have selected and how they were roasted. If it is too short a contact time, the concoction can be weak and under-

developed. On the other hand, if it is too much, the swill can be astringent, bitter and unpleasant. Since all this can feel a little like rocket science for the unini-tiated, Ben Morrow and his colleague, Matt Perger, have created a website www.baristahustle.com, which has fantastic tips on brewing. Take a look at it; it will demystify a lot of things about coffee brewing. Making a perfect cup of coffee is not magic. And you do not have to be a professional barista either. But if you are truly passionate about this particular brew, then do invest the time in learning how to make the draught correctly. It is a long and pleasant journey, along the way you will probably notice that your taste and preferences will change and develop. You will be able to recognize a well brewed cup of coffee from an average prepa-ration. That in itself is the best reward you can grant yourself. ■

QUICK TAKE ON DIFFERENT TYPES OF COFFEES

ESPRESSO: Espresso is concentrated coffee with a foamy crema on top, and it is prepared using specialised machines with a handle attached to a spring-loaded piston. Depressing the handles forces the hot water through the coffee at high pressure through finely ground, com-pacted coffee, and this act is often termed as pulling a shot of espresso. It is served in small demitasse-style cups and it has variants like single-shots, long shots or double shots.

CAFÉ MOCHA: This is an American creation, because it was rumoured that they could not accept the dense and bitter taste of the espresso. Hence they mixed one third of espresso with two thirds of steamed milk and added a portion of chocolate, either in the form of sweet cocoa powder or chocolate syrup and voila the Café Mocha was born. This drink is served with either milk froth or whipped cream on top and looks more like a dessert than a brew at times!

LATTE: An espresso when mixed with steamed milk becomes a latte. Usually enjoyed at break-fast in most Italian households, this drink now has many variations in popular cafés including Iced Latte, Café Latte, Latte Macchiato, etc.

CAPPUCCINO: This drink’s origin can be traced to Austria where it was called Kapuziner and it contains coffee, cream, sugar and spices like cinnamon and cardamom. Its uniqueness lies in the 2-cm thick layer of foam on top and it is usually made in an espresso machine using steamed milk.


BUSINESS OF FOODby SHREENIVAS GADEWAR

ZIP, ZAP,

ZOOM!

Pune-based Zipmeals.in brings an innovative concept to food lovers in the city where they subscribe to the online service and get Zipbox goodie hampers at varied periodicity throughout the year. These hampers contain spices and condiments from different regions of India – each of which is crowdsourced from home chefs and local organic producers who make these products without the use of preservatives.

Pune is a hot location for start-ups these days. A vibrant and thriving IT hub in India, Pune is also a hotspot for folks who

want to venture into other indus-tries – and why shouldn’t culinary space be explored? Zipmeals.in, the brainchild of Pune entrepreneur Shreeram Kunte, is an online plat-form for home delivery of artisanal condiments such as pickles, spices, sauces, jams, honey, cheese, organic cereals, grains, pulses and millets.

Shreeram, after working for 16 years in the telecom and IT world, gave up a lucrative career to pursue his passion for food. During his travels across countries, he explored a vast variety of cuisines, but also noticed that the same dish had a different flavour when made with spices and condiments from differ-ent regions. An idea sprung up in the mind of this tech genius, and thus Zipmeals.in was born.

Wanting to share the wonders of world cuisine with citizens of his hometown, Shreeram got together a team of enthusiastic, food-loving interns from reputed management colleges at Pune, and sent them off

on a mission – to compile a list of homemakers in Pune who family, friends and neighbours vouch as serving the yummiest food in the city. He further filtered these results by the region they belonged to.

“Lastly, I created a business plan and made house calls to those cele-brated ghar-ke-chefs. What resulted was a crowdsourced food-supply chain model, where homemakers supplied their homemade, home-ground legendary spices, condi-ments and cheese to Zipmeals.in,” he recalled.

SIMPLE FOOD, SERVED SIMPLYZipmeals.in’s model was not to serve fancy gourmet fare, but simple home cooked foods that were usu-ally hard-to-source, to the common Punekars. So the common man had access to the masalas, pickles and cheese, etc. that were prepared from hand-me-down recipes from all over India – Kashmir, Assam, Gu-jarat, Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, and more, from various culinary gharanas.

Secondly, since Shreeram himself was involved in the initial tast-ings of each food that was sold on

ZipMeal packaging is neat and the

products, varied.


this platform, he ensured that the ingredients were organic and that no preservatives were added during the making. Of course, this brought down the shelf life of the product, but he prudently decided to keep his inventory level low, so that he stocked only as much as he knew he could sell.

GOODIE HAMPERSTo initially generate interest in his product offering, Shreeram kept Zipmeals as a membership-based model. “One can opt for quarterly, half-yearly or annual membership packages. Every month, a hamper arrives at the member’s doorstep and it contains samples each of the

following – pickle, jam, honey, pre-serves, cheese, curry masala, etc.,” he explained.

Everything is homemade, tried and tested by the Zipmeals.in team, and packaged in-house at their workshops before sending it out to the customer. The team ensures that each customer gets to try a mouthful of India in a year. Basi-cally, it means that no two hampers will ever be the same. Zipmeals maintains customer records to ensure that every member receives a different variant of a product and a different combination of regional condiments every month.

So one month you could get jam from someone’s home in Bareilly, a pickle jar from Assam, organic coffee from an estate in Coorg, organic Sattu ka atta from Bihar, Khandeshi curry masala from North West Maharashtra, Ricotta cheese from Mumbai – all in one Zipbox. The next month’s Zipbox could have Kashmiri Yakhni curry masala, Parmesan cheese, organic coffee from Chikmaglur or Goan pickle; I’m sure you get the drift!

A quick glance at the accompany-ing photos and you will see that the hamper is as good as a collect-ible. If you liked a particular item in your Zipbox, you can order more of the same in larger quanti-ties directly from their website.

WHY ARTISANAL FOODS?Shreeram chose to work with ar-tisanal foods because he felt every consumer has the right to enjoy artificial-preservative-free, healthy

food. Since artisanal foods are produced and sold in small batch-es, they don’t use artificial preser-vatives. They are much tastier and healthier than assembly line food available at supermarkets.

Also, he felt small-scale artisanal manufacturers need encourage-ment as they do a lot of good to the environment and mankind. Homemakers also need an avenue, through the magic of their food and contributing their free time, to earn some extra revenue for the household. There is a sense of pride and accomplishment in the knowledge that they have hun-dreds of foodie fans enjoying what they cook.

Zipmeals.in currently operates in Pune but Shreeram plans to in-crease product offerings, and also increase their footprint to other cities very soon. Already there are customers who are strong advo-cates of the subscription-based ser-vice, like Karen Ironside, who had ordered mozzarella cheese from Zipmeals.in and was impressed by their “impeccable service”.

“I loved their newspaper bag, which is very clever and will defi-nitely order again. My husband calls them my 'cheese dealers'!” she adds. There are others like Ayesha Laher and Pragathi Kulkarni, who can’t wait for ZipMeals to start de-livering the ZipBox to other cities like Mumbai and Hyderabad.

After all, when it comes to tasty food, everyone wants to get a bite of the good thing. ■

BUSINESS OF FOOD

Shreeram chose to work with artisanal foods because he felt every consumer has the right to

enjoy artificial-preservative-free, healthy food. Since artisanal

foods are produced and sold in small batches, they don’t use

artificial preservatives.

Shreeram Kunte,

founder of ZipMeals


HEALTH NUT / DR. SUSHMA AYYALASOMAYAJULA

COLD COLD, GO AWAYThe tendency to reach for over-the-counter pills every time you suffer the sniffles is not a good one, according to Dr Sushma Ayyalasomayajula. What you might dismiss as the common cold could well be the symptom for some other disease.

Whilst it is a welcome relief when the first drops of rain hit the parched earth and the season of drizzles begins, it is also a time when the change of weather hits us in many ways when it comes to our health, the commonest being the common cold. Unfortunately, the availability of pills without a prescription com-bined with the misplaced confidence in self-medica-tion is becoming a cause for concern even with simple diseases like the cold.

WHAT CAUSES COLDS?Upper respiratory tract infections are predominantly one of the following:

• PHARYNGITIS – pain and infection at the back of the throat

• TONSILLITIS – infection of the tonsils• SINUSITIS – inflammation or infection in the

sinuses, or• LARYNGITIS – inflammation of the voice box

Although bacteria can be a cause, the organisms that usually cause these symptoms are viruses. There are hundreds of these viruses and to top that, every year they mutate and become further differentiated. Viruses tend to spread when tiny droplets of the in-fected substance come in contact with the air that we breathe, commonly used surfaces and so on. A runny nose, pain or that tickle in your throat, fever, a gnaw-ing frontal headache, cough and inability to concen-trate are the most common symptoms.

THE TRAVAILS OF SELF MEDICATIONA few hours after experiencing the symptoms of an oncoming cold, we rush to the nearest chemist asking for antibiotics, sometimes the chemist themselves suggesting alternatives, which are happily popped for a day or two, most of us then taking comfort in the fact that our colds have gone.

This causes problems that you may not be aware of and here is why.

DID YOU KNOW THE COMMON COLD IS ALSO KNOWN BY THESE NAMES – NASOPHARYNGITIS, RHINOPHARYNGITIS, ACUTE CORYZA?

DID YOU ALSO KNOW THAT MEDICAL SCIENCE HAS NO CURE FOR IT, ASIDE FROM TREATING THE SYMPTOMS? IN FACT, THE

COMMON COLD IS CONSIDERED THE MOST INFECTIOUS DISEASE IN HUMANS WITH THE AVERAGE CHILD AND ADULT CONTRACTING IT

APPROXIMATELY 6 – 12 AND 2 – 3 TIMES A YEAR RESPECTIVELY.


1 Our bodies are made in such a way that they can fight off simple infections and in the process help build our immunity. Children tend to catch

colds a lot more because they have not yet built their immunity to all the various viruses.

2 Most of these symptoms should settle down in a week with supportive treatment like regular in-take of fever reduction drugs (antipyretics) like

paracetamol, decongestant rubs over the chest, back, face and feet, plenty of fluids, soups and several home remedies that our grandmothers would swear by.

3 Antibiotics only work on bacteria. Antibiotics absolutely do not work on viruses. Given that colds are caused by viruses, gulping antibiotics is

entirely a futile exercise.

So, in effect by rushing to pop those antibiotics we are not only giving ourselves unwanted side effects from the medicine but also reducing efficacy of these drugs when they really are needed, due to the resistance built up in the body from unregulated pill-popping.

I suggest you wrap yourself up, get treated to back rubs, hot soups and comforting dishes, and enjoy a pampering from the family for the duration of your sniffles, keeping in mind that medication will proba-bly not help. At the same time, colds mustn’t be taken so lightly that signs indicating the need for a profes-sional consultation are ignored. At the end of the day however, remember it is only a cold, an unwelcome guest. Like all things unwelcome, it too will leave. ■

WHEN TO CALL FOR HELP

When do you need to take this a little more seriously and consult a physician?

• If your symptoms have not settled after a week.

• If your temperature continues to remain high in spite of antipyretics.

• If your child is not drinking enough, nappies remain dry, persistant fever and if in general, the child continues to be miserable.

• If you start developing a cough with blood stained sputum.

• If you have diabetes, asthma, lung conditions, are on immunosuppressant medication, are elderly with multiple health issues, you might need extra support than what an average adult requires.

ALTHOUGH BACTERIA CAN BE A CAUSE, MOST OF THE TIME THE ORGANISMS CAUSING THESE SYMPTOMS ARE VIRUSES. AND THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF VIRUSES AND TO TOP IT, EVERY YEAR THEY MUTATE AND FURTHER DIFFERENTIATE.


NOSTALGIA

by PARUL PRATAP SHIRAZI

KEVENTERSTHE REVIVAL OF A LEGENDKeventers, a brand with a century-old legacy, is being reintroduced in the country in a contemporary avatar, in sync with the changed taste of the new generation. Its fabled milkshakes are definitely on the menu, but there will be many more interesting flavours waiting to be savoured.

What does revival take? It takes money, money and enterprise; not just in terms of logistics or presentation or menu, but even in terms of brand identity and in-

novative marketing. And in a way this is what ensures longevity.

In the city of New Delhi a classic example of revival would be Keventers, a brand that is spread across North, West and East India but in avatars that might not necessarily connect them to the umbrella entity of the original! A look at the signage brings an image of vintage memorabilia flooding back; a remembrance of things you wanted to collect for posterity and for the love of ‘cute’, adorn what is now called the ‘original’!

The paper cups and glasses for Gelatos and shakes at Keventers are all-American diner style candy stripes in pastel hues. The flagship counter at Select Citywalk is chic and oh-so-cute, with black and white original photos of Edward Keventer and his milk delivery vans and if you are a native of the city, it is a heartening experience just to see the comeback!

A part of me wished the original had stayed, not knowing the history and the fact that there is no ‘real’ Keventers, just franchisees and that this take-away vend is officially the real McCoy, Keventers wholly owned mini café! The menu serves up the original fla-vours of shakes, over a dozen new thick shakes made with ice cream, and house made Gelatos.

A CENTURY-OLD LEGACYThe brand has a legacy of over a 100 years, and it was the first milkshake brand to originate out of a coun-try that used yogurt for dairy beverages. It was when Edward Keventers, a Swedish dairy technologist, first established his dairy plant in Delhi in the 1870s, that Keventers launched its milk delivery services and subsequently the fabled milkshakes.

The dairy plant was later acquired by Ram Krish-na Dalmia, who founded the Dalmia Group. Today Agastya Mihir Dalmia, a third-generation scion of the Dalmia family, is reintroducing and recreating the Keventers brand in New Delhi, along with Aman Arora. Their third partner, Sohrab Sitaram, brought his experience of promoting several of the city’s cafes, bars and bistros into the foray to further strengthen a vision that essentially wants the name Keventers back on people’s minds!

Explaining the vision behind the brand, Agastya said, “It was very exciting to recreate this brand and re-vive its former glory. I dug up all the old collaterals, the old recipes and some old packaging material and decided to put it all together. With a vision of opening four Keventers outlets in New Delhi’s premium malls, the plan is to develop a franchise model by the end of the year and spread it throughout India.”

Added Aman Arora, “It is young, it is fun, but it is also classic and promises to bring alive memories of the familiar flavours we all grew up with. As we are


also catering to a modern and younger audience, we have ensured that there is also a sense of adventure and discovery with a newer taste profile.”

DOWN MEMORY LANERetracing the steps of the brand, Edward Keventer came to India in 1889 and started Keventers Dairy in 1922, and later set up factories in Aligarh, Calcutta, Darjeeling and Delhi. Eventually, the Calcutta franchise went to Keventers Agro where currently they sell fruit, seeds and pack-aged products. The Darjeeling outlet functions independently, and offers milkshakes along with breakfast.

The Aligarh and Delhi franchises went to Agastya’s grandfather, RK Dalmia, once the family took over this brand. For de-cades the business was involved in selling milk, milk powder and biscuits to the Indian Army. They intro-duced cassatas and the story goes that the factory was in Malcha Marg and these frozen treats would go out in thelas – the original ice cream guy – circa 1960-70. Around the 80s, milkshakes were prepared at the factory and supplied to franchisees across Delhi, in iconic milk bottles with foil tops and served out of 48 outlets. MOVING WITH THE TIMESOnce Malcha Marg became a diplomatic zone, the

factory had to be shut down and few outlets remained open. Despite this, the brand had the original recipes, and they had been franchisees long enough, so they just started producing the milkshakes themselves!

Agastya’s father wasn’t keen on Keventers since he had his hands full with Dalmia biscuits, but he wanted to hold on to the legacy. So he spent 7 years to get the legal rights to the Keventers name, which he finally gained in 2006.

MAKING THE BRAND CONTEMPORARYSince two of the three current owners of Keventers brand don’t have an F&B background, they looked to restaurateurs, consultants, friends and family to create the look, feel and vibe of its legacy. They took over a year to learn about processes; initially the milk-shakes were made in blenders with ice cream as the base - and took too long to make. So they tied up with

the right people to streamline and standardize basic produc-tion. They had the recipes for the classic creations, but the new ones needed a lot of work for standardization as did the pre-mixes for new flavours that would find favour with the new generation. They realized the value of Hazelnut over Butter-scotch and though they current-ly have 10 new flavours, the goal is 20 for the first half of 2015.

Today, Keventers’ team of two has grown to 10 and operates out of four venues, and will

soon function out of Promenade Mall in Delhi. What is good to know is that along with classic beverages, food might also be on the menu soon.

To make the brand prominent again, the promoters are working on unusual marketing plans like giving away branded bottles with every milkshake as well as a slow and steady build up on social media platforms. Keventers has a youthful vibe and plenty of vigour coupled with a new-age vision. This usually means only good things on a brand that’s considered ‘re-vived’! ■

Edward Keventers, a Swedish dairy technologist, first estab-lished his dairy plant in Delhi in the 1870s, that Keventers

launched its milk delivery services and subsequently

the fabled milkshakes.


ASKAN

EXPERT

Cooking might seem like a daunting affair to begin with, and then there is the stress about the dish turning out as expected. Let us help you! Send us your questions

about food and cooking and we will get chefs of leading hotels to share their wisdom on how to make that dish, perfect. This month, we have Shubham Dhar, Corporate Executive Chef at Delta Corporation, who answers questions of CaLDRON readers.

What should the ratio of onion and tomatoes be for preparing vegetarian gravies? Somehow I can never establish a balance between the two – either one is more than the other. The dish does not turn out to be perfect.

Priti Diwakar Joshi, Bhopal

Firstly, you need to know the na-ture of your vegetables. Onions are sweet and tomatoes are a bit on the sour side. So, to get a perfect balance it is always bet-ter to introduce a third element that will neutralize and give your gravy a texture, like cashew nuts to balance the taste. Also re-member to always fry the onions first and completely take all the rawness away before adding the tomatoes. Usually in home style cooking you can apply the 1:1 ratio almost every time.

I want to know how to ensure that the chicken pieces remain tender and succulent in curries. I want to know from the very beginning – from choosing the chicken, to marinating it to cooking it in the gravy. Please guide me on this.

Reena Patil, Thane

When buying chicken, choose fresh chicken over frozen and check that the flesh is pink and does not have clot marks. Mari-nate the chicken with salt, lemon juice and ginger garlic paste and keep it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before use. Always sauté the chicken with the spice paste or onion-tomato paste on low heat and do not add any extra water because chicken will leave its own water. Boiling rapidly makes the chicken hard. So cook it on slow heat and cov-ered the pan. Stir occasionally to avoid scorching.

Can you please let me know how to make Palak Paneer where the spin-ach is pureed in a blender? I have tried preparing this several times in the past, but though I get the right texture and taste, the taste is not similar to what you get in the restau-rants. Can you tell me how I can get the same taste as you get in fine dine restaurants?

Shital Mody, Mumbai

Blanch the spinach first in boiling water with salt and cooking soda for 2 minutes, then dip it for a couple of minutes in ice water to retain its colour. Squeeze the extra water and blend to a fine puree. Sauté onions and finely chopped garlic in ghee or oil till the raw flavour goes, then add a pinch of turmeric, jeera pow-der and garam masala powder. Add a little water to prevent the spices from burning. Add the paneer cubes and sauté for a minute. Then add the spinach puree and simmer with salt. Keep stirring as it will splatter. Keep the flame low. Last add kasoori methi powder. Finish with a little cooking cream. This will surpass any restau-rant’s Palak Paneer that you have had before.

I have been baking eggless cakes regularly, but somehow never succeed in getting super spongy and moist texture that cakes containing eggs have. I have been rectifying the recipes little every time I bake these, but the end re-sult is still not the same. Can you give me some suggestion on how I can bake very soft, airy eggless cakes?

Avni Patel Gudhka, Dubai

Incorporate yoghurt beaten with sugar at room temperature in the batter. Then add the baking pow-der and baking soda and leave for 5 minutes. It will foam up. Add your flavouring and oil as required. Then add this yoghurt mix to the flour. The ratio of flour to yoghurt should be 3:2. This will give you airy sponge in about 30 minutes if you bake at 180°C.

I have a OTG and whenever I bake cookies in it, they end up with burnt base and the cookies also turn out very flat. I follow the recipes and check the tem-perature but still don’t succeed completely. Can you please tell me why this happens and how I can avoid this?

Aparna Shukla, Hyderabad

Always use softened butter and not melted butter. The dough should be like play dough and not runny. Keep the batch refrig-erated before baking. Also don’t incorporate too much air, which will eventually puff them up in the oven and then flatten them once cooled. Happy baking!

My breads always turn out perfect, but not the cakes I bake. They are always raw in the centre despite following the recipe. Where am I going wrong?

Fatima Shaj, Kuwait

Checking the oven temperature is the key to baking great cakes. I reckon your oven is at a higher tem-perature when you bake cakes hence the heat is unable to reach the core of the baking tin. To solve this, cover the baking tin with aluminum foil and pop it back in the oven as it will trap the heat and cook the centre.


Love coffee? learn how to do it right! page 48


A CHEERY, FIZZY TOAST


Psst… want to know a simple way to take a simple brunch up an elegant notch? Just mix up some cocktails with sparkling wine. Better still, make it Pro-secco – that chic Italian white sparkling wine that is the toast of the world. And don’t worry, you don’t need exotic ingredi-ents or fancy glassware to mix up these cocktails. Just follow these recipes and your even your simplest lunch spread will transform into a tasteful affair!


MIX IT UP

ELDERFLOWER FIZZ

ADD SOME CHEER TO YOUR PARTY WITH THIS ZESTY COCKTAIL MADE WITH SPARKLING PROSECCO, GIN AND ELDERFLOWER LIQUEUR.

SERVES: 1

INGREDIENTS30ml Zonin prosecco

20 ml gin10 ml elderflower liqueurLemon twist, for garnish

METHODMix gin and elderflower liqueur in a chilled flute.

Top with Zonin Prosecco and stir well.Garnish with a lemon twist


MIX IT UP

ROSSINI

A DELICIOUSLY TEMPTING COCKTAIL TO MAKE AT HOME- PROSECCO AND STRAWBERRY PUREE. IT’S THE MOST POPULAR ALTERNATIVE TO THE CLASSIC BELLINI.

SERVES: 1

INGREDIENTS25 gm fresh strawberry puree

50 ml Zonin prosecco5 fresh strawberries, chopped

METHODFill glasses with strawberry puree.

Add chilled Zonin prosecco and give a quick stir.Garnish with fresh strawberry and serve.


MIX IT UP

SPRITZ

A COCKTAIL FULL OF TASTE ENHANCED BY THE SPARKLING AROMATIC NOTE OF ZONIN PROSECCO.

SERVES: 1

INGREDIENTS20ml Aperol

30 ml Zonin proseccoSplash of soda

METHODMix all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker.

Pour into a wine glass.Garnish with a slice of orange.


MIX IT UP

MALTA MIMOSA

THIS COCKTAIL CAN EASILY BECOME A STANDARD FOR YOUR SUNDAY BRUNCHES, AND FOR GOOD REASON. IT'S EASY TO MAKE AND WITH FRESHLY-SQUEEZED

MALTA ORANGE JUICE, MANY SWEAR BY ITS RESTORATIVE POWERS TOO.

SERVES: 1

INGREDIENTS20 ml fresh Malta orange juice

20ml Zonin Prosecco

METHODFirst add orange juice into champagne flute glasses to minimize the fizzing.

Top it up with the prosecco.


MIX IT UP

PASSION FLUTE

IRRESPECTIVE OF THE SEASON, YOU CAN ALWAYS BRING THE TROPICS HOME TO REFRESH YOURSELF FROM THE MUNDANENESS OF LIFE. JUST MIX SOME

PROSECCO WITH PASSION FRUIT PUREE AND YOU WILL KNOW WHAT WE MEAN.

SERVES: 1

INGREDIENTS120ml Zonin Prosecco

60ml passion-fruit puree

METHODPour the Prosecco into a highball glass.

Then add the passion fruit puree carefully as the wine will foam rapidly when the passion fruit is added. Serve chilled and garnish with mint leaves, if you wish.


MIX IT UP

BELLINI

THIS ITALIAN MASTERPIECE HAS CONVERTED MANY WHO HAVE SWORN BY OTHER BEVERAGES. MAKE IT WITH PROSECCO AND WATCH YOUR GUESTS RELISH THIS

GREAT BRUNCH COCKTAIL.

SERVES: 1

INGREDIENTS1 medium ripe peach, peeled and pureed

120 ml Zonin proseccoPeach slices, for garnish

METHODPour peach puree into glass.

Slowly add prosecco.Stir gently. Garnish with peach slices.

Recipes courtesy

ASPRI SPIRITS


VIETNAMESE CUISINE: MORE THAN PHO?

wish list

Ask someone who has been to Vietnam to recommend dishes that you should try when you visit the country and more often than not, pat comes the reply - Phở. Now, this is an iconic soup

that is sold at almost every street of the country. In fact, some streets even derive their name from the Phở variety sold there!

While others might even suggest you try the ubiq-uitous glass noodles and spring rolls, Chef Vu Dinh Hung, who runs four restaurants in the country, says that Vietnam has a lot more to offer if you are will-ing to brush aside the dust and the grime and glance underneath. Here are his picks of some Vietnamese dishes you must try at least once.

1 PHỞ GÀ: A popular noodle soup, made with rice noodle, herbs, broth and chicken, this dish can be found at almost every street of Vietnam.

There is no specific time to enjoy Phở Gà and one can see people dig into steaming bowls of this soup from dawn to well past midnight, either on their way to work or after putting in several long hours at it. It is not hard to distinguish a Phở seller from the jumble of other street food sellers in the city – their

distinctive Mu Phở hats set them apart. Traditionally, the chicken is still attached to the bone and then slow cooked for a few hours, lending a unique meaty fla-vour to the broth. The flavour and texture of the Phở also changes as one ventures deeper into Vietnam, with those in Saigon being spicier than that of the rest of the country.

2 BÒ XÀO LĂN: This Vietnamese lamb curry is served with glass noodles, which shows the Chi-nese influence on the region. Vietnamese curries

are made with freshly ground spices as opposed to pastes. This rich fragrance of the thick curry pairs perfectly with silkiness of the glass noodles. It has a fine balance of all the quintessential elements that Vietnamese hold dear – fresh herbs, spices, sweet-ness, sourness and enough meat for the jaws to get a workout.

3 CHẢ GIÒ SPRING ROLLS: Vietnamese spring rolls are lighter and more delicate than their Chinese counterpart. Available with either tofu

Vietnamese food has been voted amongst the healthiest in the world and for good reason too! It uses very little oil and instead prefers to use fresh ingredients, herbs and spices to enhance the intrinsic flavours of each produce. Chef Vu Din Hung shares his choice of some lesser known Vietnamese dishes, which he hopes more people soon discover.

Pho Ga

as told to VINITA BHATIA

Bo Kho


or prawn or crabstick, the rolls are meant to be wrapped in lettuce and greens and cloaked in very fine rice paper tissues. These rice paper sheets are moistened slightly before use, so that they can hold the shape of the roll. Spring rolls are so named because they were easier to eat when summer was around the corner and people could eat them instead of a heavy lunch, which was difficult during the hot climate. The trick is to eat them fresh and immediately once they are prepared before the greens start wilting.

4 CÁ KHO TỘ: In most Viet-namese households, Cá Kho Tộ is prepared on a routine

basis. It is basically fish, especially catfish or other meaty fish, braised with spices and spring onions and caramelised before being cooked in a thick fish sauce. What sets it apart from other gravies is that it is cooked in a claypot, which locks in the heat and helps the fish caramelise thoroughly, lending it a sweet and savoury taste. It is served with sticky, jasmine rice or noodles.

5 GỎI CUỐN: Literally trans-lating to salad rolls in the southern Vietnamese dia-

lect, Gỏi Cuốn consist of freshly chopped vegetables, bún made of rice vermicelli and other ingredi-ents wrapped in Vietnamese bánh tráng (rice paper). To spice things up, one can also include tofu, prawns or crabstick in this snack. It is the best way to eat a salad, because it is a convenient meal on-the-go. ■

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Braised Fish Stew

Vietnamese Salad Rolls


6 STRANGELY DELICIOUS ICE CREAM FLAVOURS

IN NEW YORK

Ice-creams are my favourite part of the summer. With the temperatures rising, it is almost mandatory to eat ice-cream at every available opportunity. You have to admit though, that vanilla, chocolate and butterscotch (delicious as they are) can get a tad

boring sometimes. But what would you say to some cucumber, peppered strawberry, or even goat milk chocolate ice-cream? Here are some of the most interesting and unusual ice-creams around New York City this time of year.

1 Horchata Paleta from The Big Gay Ice-cream Shop: Big

Gay Ice-cream started out as a food truck in 2009, and after immediate and incred-ible success, opened two storefronts in 2011 (East Village) and 2012 (West Village). Known for their playful creativity, this New York favorite has a few pop-

ular staples like the Salty Pimp (vanilla ice-cream, Dulce De Leche, sea salt and caramel) and the Mermaid (vanilla ice-cream, key lime curd, Graham crackers and cream).

The most unusual one I found on the menu was the Horchata Paleta. A Paleta is a Mexican-style ice pop on a stick, while Horchata is a Mexican dairy drink made from rice, seeds, nuts and cinnamon. The dairy pop was quite grainy, but tasted rich and milky, with sweet not so much from sugar, but from the spices, particularly cinnamon. Like a milkshake on stick, this is a good choice for those who love dairy, but don’t like it too sweet. Incidentally, it is

also available in a soft serve on special occasions.EAST VILLAGE – 125 EAST 7TH STREET AND WEST VILLAGE – 61 GROVE STREET / 4$ FOR THE HORCHATA PALETA

2 Chocolate Rosemary Goat milk ice-cream from Victory Garden: Soft serve is very popular in NYC, with trucks seen at every other street corner in

the summer, offering tan-talizingly cold and twisted towers of vanilla ice-cream in crisp, tan cones. Victory Garden sources its fresh goat milk from local farms. The resultant dessert is slightly sweet and completely devoid of antibiotics or hormones.

I tried the original Tangy Goat Milk flavour that had the freshness of a sorbet and a slight sourness that cut through the creamy milk. The Chocolate Rosemary was a rich, dark chocolate with a hint of rosemary.The sourness from the goat milk adds an interesting layer of flavour that we don’t usually encounter in a soft serve. This is great place for those who are watching their weight – goat milk is lower in fat than cow’s milk, and it’s lac-tose-friendly as well.WEST VILLAGE – 31 CARMIN STREET / 4 .99$ FOR A REGU-LAR SOFT SERVE

3 Black sesame Ice-cream from Davey’s Ice-cream: Davey’s is the kind of place you should walk into on a day you’re kinda sorta low and need cheer-

ing up. Their staff is so deliriously happy, it’s infectious and

When you get a lick of these six exotic ice creams found only in New York, your bored taste buds used to conventional frozen sweets will suddenly perk up. Go grab a scoop right now and slurp your way to dessert heaven, urges Charis Alfred Bhagianathan!

wish list by CHARIS ALFRED BHAGIANATHAN


there are curious ice-cream flavours to wake up your palate. One such is the Black Sesame ice-cream, which is a cloudy grey color with black speckles of ground sesame that look like vanilla bean paste. The ice-cream remind-ed me of my time in Singa-pore, where very often, a bowl of warm, sweet black sesame

soup would be a comfort after a long day. Also on offer is the Key Lime Pie ice-cream, which is a delicate twist on the classic summer dessert – sweet and tart and creamy, all in one mouthful.

Davey’s make their ice-cream on location and if you choose to eat there, you will be able to see (behind the glass) their large ice-cream churning machines where each batch is made using all raw ingredients and requires a four-day long production schedule!EAST VILLAGE – 137 1ST AVENUE / 4 .25$ FOR A SINGLE SCOOP IN A CUP OR CONE

4 Selamat Pagi Curried Nut Ice-cream at Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice-cream: Another dessert truck success story, Van Leeuwen now has three

stores across Brooklyn and Manhattan. Using ingredients “perfected by nature, not science” as they say, Van Leeuwen has concocted several intriguing flavour combinations like the Earl Grey tea and Bergamot, and the Curried Nut. We tried them both, of course.

The former was both sooth-ing and refreshing, and had a fresh, bright flavour with summery undertones of ginger and citrus. The latter was a perfect marriage of caramelized pistachios and peanuts with mild curry powder that left a slight spicy aftertaste. This Curried Nut ice-cream had all the components of a savory snack, but with the addition of slightly sweetened dairy, it transformed into a delicious dessert. Could savory ice-creams be the next big thing? I wonder.BOERUM HILL, BROOKLYN / 5 .50$ FOR 2 REGULAR SCOOPS IN A CUP OR CONE

5 Black pepper Strawberry Ice-cream at Odd Fellows Ice-cream Co: When you walk into a des-sert shop and find a poster of Jesus holding a cone of

ice-cream (double scoop, no less) you know you’re in for a

treat. Odd Fellows has a flag-ship store in Brooklyn where their ice-creams and waffle cones are made from scratch.

Their menu changes often and is different in their two stores so regulars usually check online to see what flavours are available on the day. I tried the Black Pepper Strawberry – a freshly cracked black pepper flecked ice-cream with chunky strawberry bits. Not too sweet, and a beautiful balance of spicy and fruity, it’s no wonder Jesus was tasting ice-creams here!

The Thai Iced Cream was also ingenious – if you love Thai Iced tea, you will love this flavour. The creaminess from the condensed milk and the bright orange colour are locked into the ice-cream, making it a memorable celebra-tion of the popular Thai summer drink.175 KENT AVENUE, BROOKLYN / 3 .5$ FOR SMALL SCOOP

6 Carrot Gelato at Il Laboratorio del Gelato: As the name suggests, Il Laboratorio del Gelato is an ice-cream lab, where different ingredients are coaxed into

becoming delicious gelatos and sorbets. With more than 40 flavours on offer, Il Laboratorio isn’t about combining flavours as much as it’s about taking an ingredient and turning it into an ice-cream while being as respectful to the original ingredient as possible.

I tasted the Cucumber, Honey Lavender, Licorice, Rhubarb, Ginger and Carrot. With each flavour, if you closed your eyes while eating it, you’d experience the beau-ty of the original ingredient. The carrot in particular was outstanding – smooth and orange in colour, it carried with it the natural sweetness of a carrot and nothing more. I never thought I’d see the day when I’d be eating a vegetable ice-cream and loving it, but here I am. New York certainly does strange things to you! 188 LUDLOW STREET / 4 .25$ FOR 2 SMALL SCOOPS Happy ice-cream eating! ■


JUICE IN A JIFFY

TRIED & TASTED PARUL PRATAP SHIRAZI

Summers precede monsoons but in most of North India, the veil of heat hangs low un-less it is likely to rain or rained that day! This means the crav-

ings for food and drink remain sum-mery in general and we veer towards

juice vends and tetra packs.

However, monsoons come with a statutory warning;

avoid outside food and drink, with juices and raw salads high on the list. Add the packaged foods dilemma to the

mix and all you can do is make your own salads,

soups, juices, snacks and meals. Most of these are

now possible in a jiffy with products from Philips and we chanced upon their Pro-Clean series while researching how a family can make their own juices while they pan through summer and monsoon season in a tropical country like India!

The Viva Collection Juicer (HR 1860) is a Centrifugal Juicer, which means it is fed from the top and the fruits or vegetables travel to a spinning mesh where the teeth shred them to extract juice. The pulp stays back as waste and the juice is then passed out of a spigot into a jug or glass.

EASE OF USEThe Philips Pro-Clean juicer is a delight to use. It can produce up to 2 litres of juice at a time which is more than sufficient for a family of four. The mesh and blades can handle off-season carrots which are hard, and soft orange wedges with equal ease. It

Juicers are a useful tool to have around the house, especially for those of us prone to detox or juice based diets every so often. Parul Pratap Shirazi tests the Philips Pro-Clean Juicer and finds it to be well worth the price.

Product: Pro-Clean Juicer HR 1860 ■ Manufacturer: Philips ■ Category: Home Appliance ■ Price: INR 10,495 ■ Availability: Pan India ■ First Impressions:

* Ergonomics: Easy to assemble and take apart but bulbous and bulky

* Look and Feel: Sleek and attractive, fairly light-weight for the size

* Price / Perceived Value: Good* Power consumption: 700W

* Safety » Electrical: Yes, all plastic body » Sharp Edges: None » Child proofing: Once assembled, it is safe

around children » Availability: All Philips Service Centres » Service Centre zones: Pan India

* Weight: 2 kg* Build Quality: High* Perceived lifetime value: Best in the category

■ Performance during real-life usage: easy, efficient and practical


PHILIPS HR 1860 JUICER TRIED & TASTED

is best to keep an eye out for the spurt of juice, the speed of which can cause splashes especially when you juice high moisture fruits and vegetables like oranges, plums, peaches, tomatoes, etc.

The juicer is fairly easy to clean, though the mesh needs a firm but gentle hand. Assembling the juicer is easier than disassembling it, which can be a bit of a challenge as the safety clamps are delicate. ■

THE 3 C'S OF JUICEServes: 2

INGREDIENTS6 pineapple slices, cut into thick halves

2 grapefruit, wedges4 carrots, cut into large cubes

2 tbsp honey4-6 basil leaves

METHOD1. Wash, cut and cube all the ingredients.2. Use juicer as per instructions. Add all the fruits, vegetables, honey and basil. 3. Serve cold.

TIP: Instead of chilling a glass of juice, where nutrients are lost while it rests, use chilled fruits and vegetables to make a glass of cold juice!


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That raw, tart, gummy smell that reminds you of a time when backyards had mango trees; the time when summer afternoons meant playing in the sun, going for a swim in the scorching heat and ending the day with French fries and cold coffee! If I could sum up Corbett in the summer, it would be that – hard to pin memories of the past that are drummed up in the present!

PARUL PRATAP SHIRAZI

MORE THAN A TIGER’S LURE

HRIDAYESH @ CORBETT

For most people the Corbett story starts, and ends, with the elusive tiger and as much as I would like to have had

one in my story, mine more feels its absence. We started from Delhi on a hot summer morning and knew the mountains would come hours later but it was alright, at least they would come.

Corbett Park is at the foothills and wouldn’t provide respite from the weather but the green cover and the prospect of a safari was excit-ing enough. Being big fans of road trips, we did the whole rigmarole; pit stop for paranthas at Gajrau-la, smoke breaks with a view of expansive farms and languid miles across canopied roads.

Our destination was a resort called Hridayesh Spa Wilderness Resort which is 1 km from Garjiya Devi Temple and within 8 km of the Bijrani Safari Zone and the Dhan-gadhi Museum. Ram Nagar railway station and bus stand are about 10 km away, while Pantnagar Airport

is 85 km away in case you’re not up for road tripping!

IN AWE, AND LOVEWe reached close to lunch time and our first impression was sheer awe. As much as we love Corbett and considering that we visit every 2 years or so, this was the first time we found a resort that was worthy of the term ‘resort’! Hridayesh is nestled by the Kosi river, with a few cottages a stone's throw away and for a month like June, we were completely stumped by the variety of flowers blossoming everywhere and what had our jaws drop open were the mango trees. It was like we were living in a mango grove!

The 58 villas are spread over 8 acres of lush greenery, exotic flora and natural rockery of the land. The Spanish Baroque style archi-tecture is interspersed with a touch of the Mediterranean making each villa unique and warmly inviting in its own way.

Each villa overlooks a garden space and the duplex ones have private


balconies so you don’t miss out on the view or the romanticism. We were told the property houses over 425 species of flora and fauna and if it were not for the call of the wild, we would have spent all 3 days right here!

NATURAL SPLENDOURStepping into our ‘Deluxe’ cottage, we were happy to note that we had a cosy living room that spilled into a larger bedroom but the true clincher had to be the bathroom. A washroom worthy of being called a full-fledged washroom, complete with a glass panelled shower stall and a bathtub, which of course our daughter made ample use of.

Coming to children, at times one feels just a bathtub and room service would constitute a vacation for them! I would have liked better quality bath products and that too

only because the venue warranted it - I was glad to have carried my own stash!

Our room had a large screen LCD which we barely used; our view was the river and the hillside beyond it, making our bedside bay window, a screen in itself. Our bed was supremely comfortable and the couch in the living room was a sofa cum bed, so the bed was just for the two of us!

From an amenities standpoint, the room was completely equipped with a mini bar, albeit empty, an electric kettle with all the frills and a little patio for us to enjoy our cof-fee at. Suggestion: bring your own liquor! We used our safety locker for our wallets and headed to the river, which flowed despite the heat and the lack of monsoons so far. By the time we came back our room

The 58 villas are spread over 8 acres of lush greenery, exotic flora and natural rockery of the land. The Spanish Baroque style architec-ture is interspersed with a touch of the Mediter-ranean making each villa unique and warmly inviting in its own way.

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service had arrived, bringing with it luscious chicken burgers, hand cut fries and chilled colas. Life could not be better.

FUN GETS BETTEROh! But it can! There was a pool and a spa waiting for our attention and since we were on holiday, we had plenty to give! Father and daughter headed for the pool, which was large enough to comfortably accom-modate over half a dozen families and then some, but the most adorable was the baby pool, which had a mosaic tile mural of tigress and her cub.

The all-day dining restaurant is conveniently located right next to the pool, so your post swim meal fix is as close as you’d like! Featuring a show kitchen and large

bay windows overlooking the pool, ‘Unwind’ serves a wide selection of fusion cuisine and delights from India, Asia and Europe.

There is also the bar, ‘Elixir’, which serves up a range of wines, cocktails and malts but I suggest you stick with the cocktails. If you’re done with the day's meals and snacks then it's best to head over to the pooltable or the library and make the most of your holiday, though quite honestly, the outdoors at Hridayesh are so inviting, staying in isn’t really required!

The Hridayesh also provides meeting/banquet fa-cilities and operates a business centre and a 24-hour front desk in case you decided to bring your work with you and seems like a good fit for corporate con-

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ferences which apparently there are plenty of. Well who wouldn’t love an off-site like this?

Our entire focus was on food and rejuvenation for which the Spa and Unwind restaurant were more than enough.We loved the Indian dishes served in the buffets and don’t miss the south Indian spread for break-fast, it’s quite a treat way up North!

EXCITING TIME IN THE JUNGLEDay 2 was dedicated to the wilder-ness and we had the privilege of engaging Big Shot Adventures, a luxury experiential travel company, specializing in tours and safaris to Corbett Tiger Reserve. They took us for not our first but our best Safari experience till date, complete with iced tea, sandwiches and cookies for refreshments and perfectly trained

companions for the ride.

We didn’t see a tiger but we saw birds we didn’t expect in the peak of summer and we had a rather close encounter with an elephant, a memory and a video we can’t stop revisiting. The sheer exhilaration of the experience cannot be put in words, it is truly something to see and experience for yourself.

With a new phase opened at the park, there is now a man-made grassland, where a herd of over 50 elephants is not an unusual sight and where the sunset is so beatific it will take your breath away. So be breathless for all the right reasons and make Corbett Park and Hri-dayesh with a dash of Big Shot Ad-ventures your next family vacation and believe me, you won’t regret a minute of it! ■

Our room had a large screen LCD which we barely used; our view was the river and the hillside beyond it, mak-ing our bedside bay window, a screen in itself.

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I’ve seen more than my fair share of food-related books over the years and there are very few that I can say are truly good. Things were different in the pre-Internet days, before unlimited access to nu-merous recipes, when cookbooks, with their curated

selection of recipes, invaluable tips by experienced cooks and in many cases, pictures of finished products, were invaluable to the average home cook.

Today, not only do we have access to millions of reci-pes for a multitude of genres, we also have thousands of cookbooks written by hundreds of authors, most of which I think hover in a satisfied fashion around the mediocre mark. This is especially true for those written by a popular Indian chef, who appears to churn out cookbooks by the kilo, most of which are derivative, and I’m being kind.

I look for one of three things in a cookbook – knowledge, innovation or authenticity. The Constance Spry Cookbook is a great example of one that disseminates knowledge, where the author explains the reasons behind some of the methods, including some dated techniques such as the preservation of eggs. 101 Glorious Ways to Cook Chicken is a prime example of the second - innovation. Apart from containing the promised 101 ways of cooking chicken, this

1960s no-frills publication also inspires many more recipes apart from containing a fantastic recipe for ‘Country Captain’, that antiquated yet brilliant dish from the days of the Raj. Finally, books like The Bangala Table are a font of authenticity, opening a view port into our soon to be lost traditions.

Tiffin is a gem that delivers the third – authenticity, and how!

HARD TO PEGI’m unsure what better describes Tiffin, a book with rec-ipes or a recipe book with stories. In either case, author Rukmini Srinivas brings to the reader a slice of history, tra-dition and culture through her brilliant storytelling; taking us through a period in time that we were not privileged enough to live through, but blessed with the good fortune of experiencing through her words.

My household, like many other nuclear families, is mostly devoid of culture and tradition. I took the opportunity to read aloud a few paragraphs to my 13-year old daugh-ter. When I was done and began to focus on writing this article, a few moments later, she said, “Read me some more, please.” I now have textual matter that appeals to my

TIFFIN: AN EXQUISITE GLIMPSE INTO HISTORY

Cookbooks are wonderful in their own right. Combined with stories from a time and place that is out of reach for us today, some cookbooks take on a whole new dimen-sion. Apart from containing culinary wisdom, they're also storytellers, regaling us with lore from a bygone era and in a small way, acting as conduits to transfer the wisdom of the ages. Tiffin is one such book.

BOOK REVIEW by SID KHULLAR

Book: TiffinAuthor: Rukmini SrinivasPrice: INR 356 (Amazon India, paperback)ISBN 10/13: 8129123908 / 978-8129123909Pages: 352Language: EnglishPublisher: Rupa Publications India; First editionDate of Publishing: 4 June 2015

http://www.amazon.in/Tiffin-Memories-Recipes-Indian-Vegetarian/dp/8129123908


daughter’s generation, which isn’t related to wimpy kids, and which contains what I believe to be invaluable learn-ing – lucky me.

We have now decided to read our way through the book, together as a family and cook the recipes as we come across them. Not only will it bring us a little closer; we’ll learn about our past as well as experience some brilliant food.

BINDING FLAVOURS WITH TRADITIONMs Srinivas mentions in her introduction, that the word Tiffin has its origins in the word ‘Tiffing’, described in the Lexicon Balatronicum, as “eating or drinking out of mealtime”, besides other meanings. Curious, I looked up the book in question and found that the “other meanings”, included “lying with a wench”. Curious!

Ms. Srinivas describes her life in different settings, in-troduces us to her friends and relatives, and through her incredible talent for narration, brings us around to the subject of the book, Tiffin. Nestled between stories most informative and quaint, are the recipes.

Let’s face it. Indian cooking, particularly that of the South, isn’t a walk in the park. Flavours and textures such as those in Kuzhi Appam are not about to come from mixing water with a pack of instant mix, nor those of Vegetable Kurma by throwing a bunch of chopped ingredients into a pot. Each ingredient must be prepped in the prescribed man-ner, sometimes pre-cooked and then incorporated into the dish via a well described protocol.

A particularly endearing aspect of the book is the genres of recipes, placed as they are within the context of the author’s life, and related to typical life events too. For example, the Mangalore Bonda ordered from the mobile canteen by hostelers, the Jalebis and Rabdi served as the sweet for her wedding feast and the Rice Idlis, Palani’s first recipe and also served in his restaurant by the same name.

If you’re looking for a cookbook, this book isn’t for you. If you will however appreciate a book that takes you back in time, delivers tantalizing sips and nibbles of a graceful past, enlightens you on matters of culture and tradition and shares a few recipes as well, Rukmini Srinivas’ Tiffin will capture a place on your bookshelf and in your heart. ■

ONION COCONUT CHUTNEY

INGREDIENTS:3 tbsp oil, divided

1 tsp chana dal1 tsp urad dal

1 dry red Kashmiri or Byadagi chili, less spicy and adds more colour1 small onion, chopped coarsely

2 green chilies, chopped coarsely½ cup shredded coconut, fresh or

frozen½ tsp salt

1 tbsp lemon juice½ cup water

FOR TEMPERING½ tsp brown mustard seeds

10 curry leaves, torn into pieces

METHOD:1. In a small wok or heavy-bottomed saucepan on

medium heat, warm up 1 teaspoon oil, but not to smoking point.

2. Lower heat, add chana and urad dals, and stir fry till they turn a light golden-brown.

3. Remove the wok from the stove and add red chili, stir twice and empty into the blender.

4. Put the wok back on the stove on medium heat with 1 teaspoon oil.

5. Stir in the onion and saute till translucent. 6. Stir in the green chilies. Turn off stove.7. Add the sauteed onions, chilies and coconut to the

blender.8. Add salt, lemon juice and half the quantity of water,

and grind to a smooth consistency. Empty into a bowl. Wash out the blender with the rest of the wa-ter and pour into the bowl. Mix the chutney.

9. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in the same wok, add add the mustard seeds. When they start popping, turn off

the stove and stir in the curry leaves.10. Empty the contents of the wok into the ground

coconut chutney.11. Stir and serve with Ulundu Vadai.


MOVIE REVIEWPARUL PRATAP SHIRAZI

For Every Chef, And

Every CriticNothing sums up the movie ‘Chef’ better than this quote by the main protagonist Carl Caspar – “I may

not do everything great in my life, but I'm good at this. I manage to

touch people's lives with what I do and I want to share this with you.”

Everyone has a story of a personal jour-ney. Sometimes it is a physical move-ment to another place and sometimes it is just revelations upon revelations. It is that pivotal time in one’s life where

you realize you may not be on the path you had designed for yourself; that you may not be fulfilled by the things that fill your life; and that is when it dawns on you, that it is time for a change.The truth is that if this dawning doesn’t happen on its own then it usually takes a monumental event to make it happen. For Chef Carl Caspar in the movie ‘Chef ’ that monumental event is a review gone askew!

DRIVEN BY PASSIONCarl Caspar is a passionate man, and all his pas-sion is directed into his craft, the craft of cooking. His domain is a successful kitchen albeit owned by a man more interested in appeasing crowds than serving up culinary experiences – a bane of chefs across the world, the inability to express them-selves through their food. The kitchen is their domain not their kingdom, and that is the crux of the movie.

To add to the woes of many kitchens, there are the critics and their new digital avatar allows them to offer real time information on eateries and their word influences many a choice. Food bloggers can make or break a brand in the digital universe of the United States, according to the movie.

As restaurant owner, Riva, played by the supreme-ly talented Dustin Hoffman, clearly states, “I don’t care which magazine said you were the next big thing.” It is evident his respect for Carl is limited and Carl knows it. The two female protagonists of the film are the chef ’s ex-wife Inez, played by Sofia Vergara, and a sassy hostess, played by Scarlett Jo-hansson, with a cheesy hairdo and an inexplicable affection for the chef. None of this satisfies Carl, not even his 10 year old son from ex-wife and his deep and endearing friendship with his ex-wife. THE IMPLOSION AND THE WAY FORWARDYou know his angst is bound to implode and it


does. One bad review and Chef Caspar cracks in the most definitive way. The digital platform is leveraged through the film and ‘Twitter’ is flashed across the second half in an unobtrusive way making it look less like a commercial pitch and more like a way of life.

After Chef Caspar’s chronicled breakdown, he takes on a project his ex-wife is certain of but he isn’t. He eases into the world of ‘food trucks’ – a concept so fascinating, you would probably want one after watching this movie. Robert Downey Jr. comes in as

a facilitator and plays his classic dopey, dreamy self, adding a new layer to Chef Caspar’s story and that’s when things begin to turn around.

Carl goes on to find the meaning he was looking for and like most inspiring stories, he finds it in the least likely of places. Watch this movie for the love of food, the love of life, the love of change - for it is all these things that make up a life worth making a movie about! ■

GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

Though the movie showcases gourmet spreads and bistro classics created at the Gauloise (Riva’s restaurant in Brentwood, California), it is a simple grilled, cheese sandwich that induces a collective sigh of desire. As Chef Caspar cooks breakfast for his son, the digital saga of his story begins to unravel and as much as you’d like to stay hooked to the plot, you cannot miss the sizzle of the sand-wich as it is flipped on the griddle!

INGREDIENTS4 bread slices

4 cheddar slices4 Swiss Gruyere slices

¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated6-8 tbsp butter1 tbsp olive oil

METHOD1. Grease a griddle or pan with olive oil.2. Make 2 sandwiches with the 4 slices of bread; use equal portions of the 3 cheeses in each.3. Close the sandwich and slather both sides with butter - be generous.4. Slather one side, put it on the griddle and then slather the top side. Let it sizzle and become

crisp, you will hear the cheese bubble and melt.5. Flip over, use a spatula to sear the sandwich down. Once it is crisp on both sides, remove from

pan, cut into halves and serve sizzling hot!


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CHIVAS REGAL EXTRA LAUNCHED

Chivas Regal introduced Chivas Regal Extra, its first new global expression since 2007, ex-clusively at Mumbai Duty Free at International Terminal ‘T2’ of Chhatrapati Shivaji Interna-tional Airport. Complementing its collection of premium blended Scotch whiskies, this rich whisky blend will soon be available at other airports and domestic markets before the start of the festive season. Chivas Regal Extra is a special selection of whiskies matured in Oloroso sherry casks together with the rarest and finest Chivas malts, creating a rich and generous Chivas blend, for those who look for more. It has a fruity, sweet nose with notes of ripe pears, creamy toffee and a hint of ginger. The ripe pears continue on the palate, with sweet tropical flavours of melons and soft notes of vanilla and caramel, blending with spicy notes of cinnamon and hints of almonds, leading to a long and fulfilling finish.

WILLIAM GRANT & SONS BRINGS GRANT’S SCOTCH WHISKY TO INDIA

Grant’s, a popular Scotch whisky brand from William Grant & Sons, was recently launched in India. It was launched with a promotion titled the Grant’s Awesome Job, which is the brand’s ideology that underlines the fact that no achievement is big enough unless shared and each one of us owes our success to someone. Through this campaign, Grant’s aims to reach out to the young adults who want to acknowledge and celebrate the spirit of collectivism and togetherness.

"Grant’s as a brand believes in collaborative success and the power of connections. To launch the brand in India, we decided to activate friendship rather than merely talking about it. ‘The Awesome Job’ is a first of its kind integrated campaign leveraging the power of connections both online and offline where the consumer is the ultimate hero. We are very excited to partner with an iconic brand like Grant’s and are confident this campaign will see significant uptake within the digital natives and

connected consumers of India,” said KV Sridhar, Chief Creative Officer, SapientNitro, India.

TACO BELL ARRIVES IN NEW DELHI

Taco Bell opened its first New Delhi outlet at Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj by hosting a party with over 275 fans. The event fea-tured live electronic dance music, a series of fun activities like a photo booth - Taco Bell’s sauce packet cut-outs, even as fans

enjoyed the brand’s signature Topped Nachos, Crunchy Tacos and 7 Layer Burritos. To commemo-rate the opening, Taco Bell gave away limited edition numbered t-shirts to the first 100 fans.The 75-seater eatery’s contemporary design is inspired by its Mexican-style cuisine and has an urban fresh look, which brings to life the brand’s belief in freshness and made-to-order food. It will offer free Wi-Fi and charging points for customers enjoying their meals. It has a vast variety on the menu with international classics like Crunchy Taco Supreme, Crunchwrap and Burritos as well as the Kathitto, which has been developed especially for India to suit the local palate. Speaking about the launch, Ankush Tuli, GM – Taco Bell & CFO, Yum Restaurants India said “Ever since we opened our first outlet in India, we have had numerous consumers enquiring about our plans to open in Delhi. From tremendous buzz on social media, the massive turnout at the Before Anyone Else pre-launch party to the die-hard fans waiting before the opening, it’s been an excit-ing launch!”

SBARRO OFFERS PIZZA OF THE DAY FOR INR 49

Sbarro, a chain of pizza restaurants has come up with a fixed weekday menu where it will present a special pizza slice for a particular day at INR 49. For Monday, there is Pan Paneer Supreme Slice, on Tuesdays it is Stuffed Veg Extravaganza Slice, while Wednesdays will feature Pan Sausage and Jalapeno Slice. New York Veggie Supreme Slice are for Thurs-days, on Fridays, foodies can indulge in the New York Chicken Tikka Slice, while you can ‘say cheese’ on Saturdays with the New York Cheese Slice. On

Sundays, it is the New York Mushroom Olive Slice that rules the menu.

Akhil Puri, CEO of JIFPL that manages Sbarro chain of restaurants in India said, “The concept of offering a taste of our best pizzas at a fraction of the price will enable us to keep customers abreast of our sumptuous assortment of pizza flavors as well as make them give in to temptation without worrying about their budget. This will help us to attract more customers, clock more transactions and thus elevate the awareness of our brand in the market.”


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BREAKFAST THIS RAMADAN WITH FOUR SEASONS HOTEL SINGAPORE

Four Seasons Hotel Singapore invites guests to celebrate the spirit of buka puasa while enjoying a delectable mezze dinner buffet spread of salads, fresh seafood on ice, mouth-watering appetisers, lip-smacking desserts and more. Specially for the Ramadan, One-Ninety Wood-Fired Steaks and Seafood is introducing an expanded mezze dinner menu with additional entrée options of sumptuous Middle Eastern and Asian cuisines.

Break fast together with friends, family or business associates and enjoy the culinary delights whipped up by the hotel's team of talented chefs between 6:30pm to 10:00 pm daily from June 17 to July 16, 2015. The suhoor is priced at SGD 58 per adult for appetizer and dessert buffet spreads with selection of one main course and SGD 34 per child (5 to 11 years old), while children age 4 years and below dine for free.

DELECTABLE RAMADAN OFFERINGS AT ARMANI HOTEL DUBAI

With a passion for using the finest ingredients and presenting contemporary flavour combinations, Armani Hotel Dubai in Burj Khalifa, has announced incredible offerings for the holy month of Ramadan. The devout can break their fast at Armani/Mediterraneo during Iftar with their family, friends and colleagues for a mouthwatering spread with The Dubai Fountain providing a soul soothing backdrop.

The Iftar will be served from sunset to 10pm during Ramadan priced at AED 260 per adult and AED 130 for children aged 12 years and under. Sohour is available for groups of 50 people and above. During the Ramadan period, regular breakfast buffet will be served from 6.30am to 11am for AED 160 and a la carte lunch will be served at Armani Deli only.

ST. REGIS VOMMULI RESORT COMES TO MALDIVES

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide has signed an agreement with Residency Resorts Malé, part of the Chennai-based leading property developer, Appaswamy Group, to debut the St. Regis brand in the Maldives. Set to open in 2016, The St. Regis Vommuli Resort, Maldives will be situated on the private Vommuli Island in the Dhaalu Atoll.

Ravi Appasamy, MD of Residency Resorts Male, said, “Starwood’s brand’s allure, coupled with Starwood’s powerful loyalty program, is sure to entice affluent travelers to visit this enchanting destination.” Jim Petrus, Global Brand Leader, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, added, “Celebrated as one of the world’s best addresses, the Maldives is a befitting destination to introduce the St. Regis brand to a discerning set of global guests.”

INTRODUCING THE REMEDY COCKTAIL BAR AND LOUNGE AT FOUR SEASONS RESORT AND RESIDENCES VAIL

Four Seasons Resort and Residences Vail debuted The Remedy Bar with a provocative bar program to serve up playful concoctions, inventive elixirs and a twist on classic cocktails reflective

of the bar’s namesake. A seasonally-inspired culinary concept will pay homage to its Colorado roots promising mountain casual fare focusing on an imaginative array of artisanal flatbreads, small bites, shareable dishes and crudo, highlighting locally-foraged produce, Colorado meats and cheeses.

A range of high quality, small-production bottled beers will also be available along with an extensive wine list, including a diverse selection of sommelier by-the-glass options. An expansive whiskey collection will be a highlight of the bar’s year-round beverage selection with cocktails enhanced by a new custom ice program.


INSPIRATIONSHere are some inspirations for coming up with dif-ferent, interesting and delicious sandwiches for your child's packed lunches.


Awww!Did it have to end?!

caldron magazine, july 2015

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