caldron magazine, october 2014

CaLDRON Magazine October 2014 1

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reviews: delhi, bangalore, Dubai

Ecuadorian food and recipes

bangladeshi foodand recipes

culinary maestro: chef gaggan anand

bugs with your food?

the tough wine business

healthy dessert recipes

cool kiwi dessert recipes

7 awesome vodka cocktails

black burgers in japan!

Bangladeshi Food and recipes / page 32

2 CaLDRON Magazine October 2014


By the time news of this issue reaches your inboxes and social media profiles, Diwali will be a day past and you'll probably be nursing distended tummies and if you've

been partying, aching heads too. That's a part of every festival I guess.

To keep things going well after the end of Diwali fever, we have for you in this issue a bunch of recipes that'll keep your families delighted as well as a host of dessert recipes to keep you happy.

This past year has been a very effective learning exercise for us, also proving in no uncertain terms that CaLDRON Magazine is here to stay, improving as it is in every manner, issue after issue - design, layout, content mix, subscriber base and reader interest. We'll soon bring it out in more formats so you'll soon have no restrictions in reading it on any device of your choosing!

Personally, I experienced two 'greats' this past month; the food at Smokey's and The Bangala Table by Sumeet Nair. Did you find yourself delighted by any food related experience recently? Or were you perhaps dismayed by something you saw or tasted? Do write in!

I'll sign off with this brief note and plenty of good wishes for Diwali from all of us here at CaLDRON Magazine. See you next month!

Stay well.Sid

EDITORIAL & CREDITS


ContentsPEREnnIALSEditorial / 3Born this month / 6Faces in this issue / 7Meet the Team / 8Ask the Experts / 78Listings - National / 111Listings - International / 113

REvIEwSDeLhIHoly Moly! Smokey's Here! / 10Add Another Champagne Brunch / 16

BANGALOReHigh Five / 18A Trip Down Memory Lane / 20

DuBAIWhere Old Meets Bold / 22

FOOD & FLAvORSMore than Cocoa / 38Join the Healthy Dessert Club / 46Kiwis: The Versatile Option / 547 Deadly Sins / 80An Indulgent Evening at Home / 96An All Black Burger from Burger King in Japan / 99How Would you like your Bugs Served? / 110

EvEnTSReady to Drink Sangrias from Turning Point / 64

ROAmIng ROvERGrandeur on a Grand Scale / 100

PEOPLE yOu ShOuLD KnOwChef Gaggan Anand / 26

KnOwLEDgE ThAT EmPOwERSThe Bangala Table: An Iconic Tome / 66Selling Wine: No Laughing Matter / 72Inspirations: Desserts / 114

COvER STORyPurba Banglar Khabar... / 32

RECIPESBANGLADeShIAam Doi Er Sarbat / 34Murgir Jhuri Kabab / 36Bhuna Khichuri / 37

eCuDORIANEmpanadas di Viento / 42Pescado Encocado / 43Fanesca / 44Llapingachos / 45

DeSSeRTSCandied Orange and Fudge Chocolate Tart / 48Cherry Clafoutis / 49Orange Olive Oil Cake with Roasted Walnuts / 50Chocolate Marquise with Orange Creme Brulee Stuffing / 51Orange Cheesecake / 52Kiwi Yellow Srikhand / 56Yellow Kiwi Upside-Down Cake / 58Kiwi and Sabudana Kheer with Coconut / 60White Chocolate and Kiwi Mousse with Marshmallows / 62

SOuTh INDIANBeetroot Poriyal / 68Chicken Chettinad Pepper Masala / 70

ALCOhOLNew Dilli / 82L'Apertif / 84Welcome Punch / 86Sense of Goose / 88Worldwide Sweet / 90Hint of Green / 92Lord of the Dogtown / 94


ChEF AT LARgE wEBSITEhttp://chefatlarge.in

DOwnLOAD ThE AnDROID APPhttp://bit.ly/calandroidapp

mAIL ThE EDITOR [email protected]

JOIn ThE ChATTER On OuR FACEBOOK gROuPhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/chefatlarge/

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The Chef at Large Team

mAnAgIng EDITORSID KhuLLAR (Delhi/NCR)

ASSOCIATE EDITORNATAShA ALI (Bangalore)

COnSuLTIng EDITORVINITA BhATIA (Mumbai)

EvEnTS EDITORPARuL PRATAP ShIRAZI (Delhi/NCR)

RECIPE CuRATORMANISh BhALLA (London, UK)

gROuP mODERATORSRheA MITRA-DALAL (Mumbai)

BLeSSY BLeSS (Mumbai)

SuBJECT mATTER EXPERTSSANDeeP SRINIVASA (Coffee)

JASWINDeR SINGh (Wine & Spirits)

SPECIAL PROJECTSRITuPARNA MuKeRJI (Delhi/NCR)

ShRuTI ARORA (Delhi/NCR)ChARIS ALFReD BhAGIANThAN (Singapore)

SALES AnD ADvERTISIng QuERIESJASWINDeR SINGh

[email protected]

SAMeeR [email protected]


Thomas Keller (born October 14, 1955)

Thomas Keller is an American chef, restaurateur, and cookbook writer. he and his landmark Napa Valley restau-rant, The French Laundry in Yountville, California, have won multiple awards from the James Beard Foundation, notably the Best California Chef in 1996, and the Best Chef in America in 1997. The restaurant is a perennial winner in the annual Restaurant Magazine list of the Top 50 Restaurants of the World.

In 2005, he was awarded the three star rating in the inaugural Michelin Guide for New York for his restaurant Per Se, and in 2006, he was awarded three stars in the inaugural Michelin Guide to the Bay Area for The French Laundry. he is the only American chef to have been awarded simultaneous three star Michelin ratings for two different restaurants.

Image source: lamadia.com Text Source: wikipedia.com

BORn ThIS mOnTh


Faces in this IssueCOnTRIBuTORS

Priscila moscoso meiller, the Trade Officer representing ecuador in Mumbai, is a multi-faceted person. She was the recipient of a Presidential Scholarship, Latin American Scholarship and the Notre Dame Spirit Award and also received a $10,000

grant for her proposal of a Davis Project for Peace that was carried out in ecuador in 2010 benefiting Afro-ecuadorian youth. Then again, she is a spectacular dancer, a passionate lover of coffee, and all things ecuadorian. While she is not concentrating on improving trade opportunities for ecuador in India, she is busy promoting ecuadorian cuisine.

Chef Asish Roy, executive Chef of Gateway hotel eM Bypass Road Kolkata has spent a considerable amount of time in Bangladesh trying to understand the nuances of Dhakai cuisine. Now, he is busy trying to bring those nuances to life on a plate for discerning guests at his hotel, while trying to stay true to the regional home-style preparation of this unique cuisine. Pure, fresh and simple ingredients dominate the preparations rather than ostentatious presentation – just the way you would savor the meal at a Bangladeshi friend’s home.

his genial face is quite familiar to most Indians, as Chef harpal Singh Sokhi hosts TV cooking shows where he puts the spotlight on authentic regional Indian food. hailing from North India and a graduate from the cater-ing school at Bhubaneshwar, his travel across India has helped him become fluent in english, hindi, Punjabi, Bengali, Oriya and Telugu. he has learned from culinary masters like ustad habib Pasha and Begum Mumtaz Khan, and today he uses this knowledge in the fusion of Indian food with international cuisine.

The charming Founder and CeO of FineWinesNMore, Dharti Desai can be called the ‘First Lady’ of wine imports in India. She loves the wine business and cannot imagine being happy in any other trade. her only grouse is the high level of regulation for wine im-port in India, which makes it is a daunting business to get into, and survive.


mEET ThE TEAm

JASwInDER SIngh | Wine & Beverages editor / New Delhi/NCRby Natasha Ali

Take one portion of wanderlust, one portion of stoicness, two portions of inquisitiveness, a dash of snootiness and a splash of intolerance for idiocy. Shake it well and what have you got! Well, that, ladies and gentlemen, is our resident Beverages editor, Jaswinder Singh.

A connoisseur of fine wines and spirits, he cannot condone anyone taking their drink lightly. Show him a wine trail and he will happily hop into his trusty car with his dog and head right there. however, quiz him about beverages at your own risk; he has a low threshold for stupidity.

But do not let that lead you to believe he is cynical, no sir! he harbors hopes of making people think and laugh as a stand-up comedian at open mic events. Oh yes, did we mention he also loves making wry comments with a straight face!

PARuL PRATAP ShIRAZI | events editor / New Delhi/NCRby Vinita Bhatia

She is a trained chef, professional food stylist, food blogger, social media strategist and a mother to an adorable eight-year old. however, when you meet Parul Pratap Shirazi, you are more likely to be struck by her intuitive sense of putting people at ease than her vast knowledge about all things culinary.

A petite bundle of enthusiasm, Parul is always coming up with ideas on presenting unknown eateries and their owners to CaLDRON Magazine’s readers. Someday, she hopes to open her own café, write a cookbook and make people accord food the reverence it deserves. If her boundless energy is any indication, she will probably whip out her magic wand and swoosh all these initiatives-in-the-making into existence within a couple of years.

nATAShA ALI | Associate editor / Bangaloreby Parul Pratap Shirazi

When she is not reading or dreaming about the next destination for her vacation, Natasha is a Communications Specialist and Content Writer; a regular Grammar Nazi! Given her passion for writing and her fondness the culinary realm, she started sharing her thoughts about food experiences for Chef at Large food media site and later CaLDRON Food Magazine. her maximum contribution in the magazine however, is the editing of content to make it reader-friendly.

Movie-mad, obsessed with the english language, a kid magnet, and never one to turn down a glass of good wine, cup of tea, or a good book, she's open to trying any dish once! But deep down, she cherishes ethiopian, Thai, and Lebanese dishes the most.


vInITA BhATIA | Consulting editor / Mumbaiby Sid Khullar

A seasoned journalist, Vinita Bhatia has the perfect combination of impatience, understanding, skill and fascination for discovery. As a senior journalist with extensive editorial experience, Vinita brings on board much needed and valued knowledge of publishing and journalistic standards that helps CaLDRON Magazine raise the bar with every issue.

happily married and the so-not-apparent mother of two young kids, Vinita’s capacity for perseverance and tenacity is legendary and so is her delicate use of the chain-mailed fist in the velvet glove. Working with a publication where almost nobody has physically met anybody else in the team and everyone is based out of different geographical locations, she manages to threaten and cajole the best out of everyone, then applying her unique talents to the production of superb issues, issue after issue. If there’s any one person who can be said to define CaLDRON Magazine, it is Vinita Bhatia.

mEET ThE TEAm

SID KhuLLAR | Managing editor / New Delhi/NCRby Jaswinder Singh

A man who probably has giant genes in his system, Sid Khullar is the Founder of Chef at Large food media site and Managing editor of CaLDRON Magazine, India’s 1st all digital F&B publication. Sid quit a cutting edge technology career as Vice President Software Research & Development for Medical electrophysiological Diagnostics and proceeded to build Chef at Large, a website that started life as a personal blog and soon became the editorial juggernaut it is today.

Sid lives in NOIDA with his wife and daughter, a dog and a cat. Yet, somehow, the grand old man of Chef at Large never runs out of energy to visit places all over Delhi, NOIDA and Gurgaon. his knowledge of food and hospitality is unmatched, a discerning gastronome whose heart and head are in the right places and are decidedly bigger than his stomach.

5 people, 12 issues, 300,000+ subscribers, 7,50,000+ reads


I haven’t seen many restaurants who can combine a fun atmo-sphere with awesome food. It’s usually either/or, for some rea-

son. There are restaurants that deliver beautifully cooked and plated food in an atmosphere where diners run the risk of drowning in their very deli-cious soup. Then there are restaurants where the atmosphere is fun, so much so that the passage of hours is a barely noticeable blink. The food at most such places however is either deli-ciously simple or simply disastrous.

When I first visited Smokey’s, I was unaware of its provenance. The eve-ning of my visit featured Karaoke, which I admit was a little overwhelm-ing. Apart from that, Smokey’s was fun! The service appeared to be warm

and friendly, every table looked like they were having fun and the menu, while not vast, was representative of everything a diner could desire.

I found the pears a little too tannic and thought a little more flavor in the dressing would help this salad.

PunChy munChESWe started with a selection of appe-tisers, Loaded Potato Skins (INR 290), Corn and Cheddar Triangles with Blue Cheese Dip (INR 350), Grilled Fish Red Harissa (INR 375), Charred Chicken Skewer (INR 425), Polenta Crusted Chicken (INR 425) and Lamb Kibbeh (INR 475). When you’re tasting a bunch of things, at times, you simply look for the basics – crunch in the triangles, cheese in the dip, moisture

in the fish, smoky succulence in the skewers and juiciness in the kibbeh… they were all there! I especially loved the Kibbeh and have yet to taste a juic-ier and better cooked version of this dish and it would be the one I remem-ber Smokey’s for… or so I thought.

If the succulent hot dogs at a restaurant can make you write

paeans on it, you know that the bar and grill

you are at has the right stuff.

Holy Moly! Smokey'S Here!


John Dory with Smoked Shimla Chilli - another brilliant dish at Smokey's.


The exotic Two Peppercorn Steak at Smokey's


I found my next, a Smoked Red Wine Poached Pear Salad (INR 350), un-remarkable, especially the poached pears, that were a little too tannic for my taste, while my Tenderloin Burger with Bacon (INR 580) was overdone and had lost whatever moistness it may have started out with. I was later informed the kitchen had a few issues with that grill station that evening, so my experience was probably an exception. I thought the Chili Potato Toasties (INR 200) quite nice though my guest felt they were a little too reminiscent of homemade food and so, didn’t share my enthusiasm. I couldn’t disagree with her because that’s precisely why I liked them!

gET 'Em hOT!Time however stopped when I tasted the hot dogs they make at Smokey’s, GK. When you visit Smokey’s, these are the first items you must order, and then begin the task of planning the evening.

They wrap them in bacon,they pile them with meat,

they smother them with flavorand all kinds of heat.

The rolls were made in-house, the meats simmered for hours; the end re-sult was an amalgamation of textures, flavors and aromas that I simply could not get enough of! I didn’t want to eat any more, but I did. I didn’t want to talk while eating, but I had to ask ‘how?’ and exclaim ‘So good!’ every now and then. I should have stopped at a bite and even used a fork and a knife to try and take off one bit at a time, but I only ended up eyeballing the remnants for a few minutes and grabbing the half dogs lying there. The shredded meat glistening in the warm lighting, shiny white spirals of mayonnaise standing out against the woody tones of the platter, the crisp, fatty streaks of bacon wrapped around a visibly taut sausage, each element mocked me with the sure knowledge that resistance was futile. Indeed.

If you haven’t been to Smokey’s, at any of their locations in Gurgaon or Delhi, I can very confidently state that you’re missing out. On a lot.

- Sid Khullar

The shredded meat glistening in the warm lighting, shiny white spirals of mayonnaise

standing out against the woody tones of the platter, the crisp, fatty streaks of bacon wrapped around a visibly taut sausage, each element mocked me with

the sure knowledge that resistance was futile.

Price: INR 2500++ (Meal for two)

Address: 16, Cyber hub, Building - 8, Cyber City, DLF Phase - 2, Gurgaon - 122002Phones: 0124-4966321

The hot dogs at Smokey's are well contructed and incredibly delicious!

REvIEwS - DELhI/nCR


REvIEwS - DELhI/nCR

Gurgaon’s Courtyard by Marriott is very strategical-ly located, its restaurants have frequent food fests

and guest chefs, but it is not the first choice for most. I suppose the prop-erty has realized over tim®e that in Gurgaon, it is F&B (more than tariffs and staycations) that make a hotel stand apart, especially if you have five noteworthy properties in the vicinity.

With this knowledge perhaps came the yearning to jump on the Sunday brunch bandwagon, a favourite pas-time of this city, especially with cham-pagne. I’m yet to ascertain the number of glasses consumed by a guest on an average because that stat would help me decide whether the Champagne Brunch at MoMo Café was worth it or not!

ChAmPAgnE TImEMoMo Café is like most all-day dining restaurants, live kitchen counters dedicated to specific cuisines. how-ever, the first counter you see here is of desserts; very comforting indeed! All the live counters are supplement-ed by working kitchens in the back. I was happy to spot sushi and a rather home-y looking bar that had me lust-ing for a Mojito over Champagne.Start with a round of DIY salad. I did not find anything inspiring, though some of the dressings were good – the

vinaigrette for one did not taste as acidic as it looked. You can create your own hot Dogs and Sandwiches but I suppose Pizza and Pasta win over those if you are brunching with family.Among the pastas too, there was noth-ing out of the ordinary so we headed to the grill counter. Choose from tiger prawns, chicken, lamb chops and tenderloin steaks, some of which have spent considerable time in the open or grilled and placed in a bain-marie. The tiger prawns just about made the cut but the chicken held this course together for us.

ASIAn SPICE, nOT ALwAyS nICEIf you wish to go Asian, head to the noodle bar, where we happily custom-ized our order and practically super-vised the prep. Supplement this with sushi (if you must). Among soups we chose the Malay Laksa and found it to be all spice and no Malay.

Moving on, you can choose from Indian and Western dishes, served to the table if you like. The Indian was very wedding buffet but then that can be very satisfying if you have attend-ed enough north Indian weddings as a child. So, I was happy with the Meat Masala and Butter Chicken but my daughter didn’t enjoy either and sat nibbling on Chicken Tikka and Kadhai Paneer with a rather well done Naan.

The continental selection helped redeem some of the lunch. I liked the Tenderloin Picatta, though sitting in a bain-marie is sacrilege for a prep like this; Picatta should be plated. The Eggplant Messina looked great but that was misleading.

Vegetarians can opt for the elegant looking Stuffed Zucchini with Olives and Cheese, while for seafood lovers, there’s Pan Seared Pomfret with Putta-nesca sauce; again not a good choice for sitting around and getting insipid.The kids have it good in that respect, their buffet served up Mini Burger

Add Another Champagne Brunch!

If you want to enjoy a staple Sunday brunch

at Gurgaon with something for the kids, then MoMo Café at

Courtyard by Marriott could work for you. Else, tank up on the

champagne and justify the entire effort!


with Veggies and Scrambled Egg. I don’t get the egg bit but the burgers seemed to work well. They have puffs and noodles if the grown-up buffet doesn’t work and those Potato Smileys that they practically gravitate towards!We had our best experience at the Dessert counter. I enjoyed the Rum Balls, Fresh Mango Mousse and the Baked Raspberry Cheesecake and the daughter chose Macaroons and a round of ice cream, which took longer than we liked to reach our table. To be fair, this was the first Champagne Brunch for the kitchen and I hope loose ends are being tied up.

But you can look forward to a well spent Sunday afternoon, since MoMo Café has a kiddie corner that wel-comes you as you enter. Leave the kids to their business and you get to yours. Makes sense, doesn’t it?

- Parul Pratap Shirazi

Price: INR 5000++ (meal for two)

Address: Plot no - 27 B, Sector Road,B Block, Sushant Lok - 1, Sector 27 , Gur-gaon - 122002Phones: 0124-4888444

The Indian fare was very wedding buffet but then that can

be very satisfying if you have attended

enough north Indian weddings as a child.

If you wish to go Asian, head to the noodle bar, where we happily customized our order and practically supervised the

prep.


REvIEwS - BAngALORE

HigH Five!

That high ultra Lounge has become one of Bangalore’s party and must-visit spots was

something we all expected right from the first moment we entered the establishment in March 2014. As part of the preview group, we knew that the drinks and food were good and the ambience and service were great, and repeat visits over the six months since have proven the point.

The staff there looks like they are having a great time, and if you’ve been before, you are welcomed with extra love. Who wouldn’t love such attention, I ask you?!Still the one factor that might stop one making it a frequent hangout is quite bluntly, price. unless you order just one drink and an appe-tizer, it isn’t going to be a cheap affair.

I think the new offering from high, their Sunday brunch, is a brilliant move – Sunday brunch is so ‘in’ these days. For INR 1999 plus taxes, you get an unlimited flow of select alcohol (cocktails, spirits, beer, sangria, etc) and a good range of Asian appetizers (including sushi and Dim Sum), grills, soups, salads, mains and a small selection of desserts to end on. And of course, you get to soak up the view, while relaxing on a boozy, woozy Sunday!

vARIETIES OF DELIghTSOur group of five was meeting af-ter some time, so spirits were high and the conversation flowed along-side the alcohol. A walk around the buffet spread (set up indoors, but with the grills section in the outdoor seating area) showed us that sushi was definitely going to be the way to go, and we also asked

for a medley of Dim Sum to be brought to the table.

There was Ramen Soup, both veg and non-veg, but we desisted given the hotness of the day. We helped ourselves to the crisp greens and the assorted meats to go with them. Of the appetizers on the grill, the Sweet Corn Coriander was delish and very juicy, the Assort-ed Mushrooms with Zhang Sauce (Chef Zhang’s concoction) and the Cottage Cheese with Spicy Hoisin Sauce quite good – even us bunch of paneer snobs agreed!

The chicken wings and beef ten-derloin were decent and the Basa with Spicy Oyster Garlic Sauce

High Ultra Lounge is highly recommended

for its atmosphere and high jinks, as much as

for the food!


was good. The assorted tempura also hit the spot. Oh and how can I forget the Asian Spiced Pota-to Chips – crisps doctored and served so well that we all kept digging in!

An ASIAn FEASTNow it was time to get serious as the Maki rolls made an appear-ance. Pictures were taken, then wasabi and soy sauce met and Spicy tuna, Prawn tamaki, Kappa maki, California roll and Avaca-do temaki took center stage. The sushi was excellent – fresh fish that were cooked and served in

real time. I would say, you will get your money’s worth just from su-shi and drinks during a long Sun-day brunching session! The Dim Sum got no compaints – nothing was bad, most were decent, and

the Char Sui and Har Gao were good. There were veg options like Corn & Nuts and Pokchoy and Mushroom as well.

Already quite full, we decided to order a couple of curries and a rice and noodles and share. The Thai Red Curry, Vietnamese Yellow Curry, Garlic Chicken Fried Rice and Mi Goreng noodles arrived shortly – you can customize meats based on your preferenc-es. The curries were good, if not outstanding.

The dessert selection included fresh fruits, Chocolate Darsan, Or-ange Crème Brûlée, Lemon Cheese-cake and Warm Chocolate Brown-ies – enough to end the afternoon. Though our initial assessment of the dessert counter had left us feeling it was a not deep selection, who exactly has space after hours of munching and imbibing?

Next time we want a spot to brunch, I will gladly recommend high. Keep your eyes and ears open for the staff descending on patrons with giant bottles of tequila and a mixer, which gets poured straight down one’s throat! Quite a sight to behold and then indulge in!

- natasha Ali

REvIEwS - BAngALORE

Price: INR 1999++ (per person)

Address: Rooftop, World Trade Cen-ter, Bangalore Brigade Gateway Campus, 26/1, Dr. Rajkumar Road, Malleswaram, Bangalore - 560 055

Phones: 080-45674567

You will get your money’s worth just

from sushi and drinks during a long

Sunday brunching session.


ITC Gardenia hosted a Parsi Food Festival in September, called Jamva Chalo Ji, at its Cubbon Pavilion restaurant.

As with any buffet spread, there was always much more on offer than one could possibly eat at one meal, so I stuck to just that partic-ular section/cuisine for the mains and strayed for salads and desserts. After all, when the dessert spread is as fine as the one ITC has on offer, well, its kind of a no-brainer!

I was introduced to Parsi food as a kid, since I had some ‘Bawa’ friends in school and was treated to the myriad eedu (egg) preps! For this food fest, I decided to take along a friend who had never partaken of Parsi food. Now this cuisine tends to be heavy on the meat and eggs, so it is a bit of a risk for vegetarians. Though there was a veg section with Dhansak and some veg preps (potatoes, cauli-flower), this fest is mainly for meat eaters.

A FEAST FOR mEAT LOvERSWe began our meal with the Bharuchi Akuri, the Parsi version of egg bhurji – heavenly tasting – made with ghee, whole cream, bro-ken cashews, raisins and mashed potato. It was so good that we even ended our meal with this dish,

made all the better thanks to the accompaniment of freshly baked breads from the buffet.

The type of Dhansak (slow cooked meat and uniquely spiced lentils with browned rice) changed every-day during the fest. The Chicken Dhansak we had was a multi-lay-ered, multi-component dish, and a lot of restaurants serve it almost like a biryani. however, the way I’ve eaten it at homes and the way Chef Parvez Patel (the visiting chef from Mumbai, proprietor of Ideal Corner in the Fort area, who was the man behind the food) served it was as a series of items that one could put together to suit one’s taste. So, there was the rice,

chicken gravy, and the Murghi Nu Dhansak ne Kebab, delicious balls of fried goodness, and kachumber salad.

mORE BAwA gOODnESS There was also a fantastic hot and sour prawn curry – Kolmi No Patto - which had just the perfect balance of spice and pungency. The mutton offering was Bhaji Dana Gosh, mutton cubes cooked with leafy greens and green peas and it was so good we proceeded to eat it all by itself. It gave you a feeling of indulging and eating healthy all in the same bite, thanks to the succulent mutton pieces and the perfectly cooked greens (not soggy at all – I really cannot abide mushy greens!).

And of course, there was also the other stalwart of Parsi cuisine, Patra ni Macchi, fish steamed in banana leaf, with a thick coating of mint and coriander chutney. I could have just taken the paste off the top of the fish and eaten it on its own, so perfect was it!

My friend had already informed me that ITC Gardenia is known for its fab desserts, so I knew to save space. There were three Parsi spe-cialties – Lagan nu Custard (milk, eggs, sugar, nutmeg), Sev

REvIEwS - BAngALORE

A Trip Down MeMory lAne

Having sampling the conventional delicacies at the Parsi food fest at Cubbon Pavilion, we walked out in a hazy glow of happiness at the end of the meal.


REvIEwS - BAngALORE

(vermicelli and dried fruits, a dry prep), Ravo (thick suji and milk with rose water flavoring) – we tried them all but it was only the custard that we really liked. Then there were so many lovely pastries and Pavlovas and such to feast on too.

Suffice it to say, we were on a roll on our way out, courtesy our gait after a tummy full of Parsi good-ness, as well as the extensive fare we sampled. My face had a glow

of happiness, thanks to the great food and particularly, because of the lovely trip I had down memory lane.

- natasha Ali

Price: INR 1600++ (per person)

Address: Cubbon Pavilion, ITC Gardenia, 1, Residency Road, Ashok Nagar, Bangalore - 5600025

Phones: 080-22119898

The Bharuchi Akuri was so good we even ended

our meal with this dish, made all the better thanks to the accompaniment of freshly baked breads from

the buffet.


First off, be prepared; asking for Na-3-Na-3 will ensure you get incredulous and then slightly exasperated

looks at The Address Dubai Mall. The ‘3s’ are silent and the restau-rant is pronounced as ‘NaNa’, signifying ‘mint’ in Arabic or as you would call your favorite grand-mother!

We visited Na3Na3 to check out the interesting sounding halla nights. While we conjured up images of fire eaters, belly danc-ers and maybe some other exotic affair, just walking into the tradi-tional Arabian tent at the entrance of the restaurant transported us into an era of Arabian nights. Thankfully, our expected visual distractions were absent so we could focus entirely on the food, to the accompaniment of the live kanun music.

every Friday, Na3Na3 hosts halla nights where Arabic specialty dish-es with dishes from Syria, Leba-non, Jordan and Iran take center stage. The décor was accentuated

with soft green colored walls, and high ceilings which suspend dim bulbs. underlining the contrasts, the tableware was laid out on deep maroon embroidered mats, per-haps as a reminder to the diners that they were indeed in for a Mid-dle eastern experience.

BLOwIng hOT, BLOwIng COLDWe started with a DIY round of salad, which was not particular-ly inspiring except for the pesto dressing. Moving on to the cold mezzas, we dived into some all-time Arabic favourites – Fattoush, Hammous and Sambousek. The combination of sweet beetroot, sour yoghurt and the earthy flavor of tahini in the Beetroot Moutabel piqued my interest first, and later, my appetite.

We headed to the hot mezza counter, where it was fascinating to see freshly baked bread coming out of the live kitchen. The Sujouk and Spinach Fatayer were appetizing and tangy. The Falafel was proba-bly the best I have eaten in my 19

years in the Middle east. Crispy and fluffy from the outside and absolutely soft on the inside, they were cooked using different ingre-dients rather than the conventional ones used elsewhere. Chef hanna revealed that the secret for this wonderful creation lay in soaking chickpeas a little longer than over-night and adding a bit of soda for

REvIEwS - DuBAI

wHere olD MeeTs Bold

Don’t let the confusing Na3Na3 name mislead you. This Middle Eastern oriented restaurant at The Address Dubai Mall hosts Halla nights, which are not just worth a visit, they are a must-visit!


the extra fluffiness. On the other hand, my companion struggled to make his own Shawarma and expressed feelings of dismay about the lack of juiciness in the chicken pieces. I adored the heavenly com-bination of yoghurt and kibbah in the Kibbeh Bil Labban, another great Lebanese delicacy.

mELT-In-ThE-mOuTh mEATy DELIghTSWhat stole the limelight was the Lamb Mandi. The word ‘man-di’ comes from the Arabic word ‘Nada’, which means dew. It is used to denote meat that has a ‘dewy’ texture. Lamb Mandi is rice and young lamb meat pieces in a spicy mix. The meat is so succulent that it does indeed melt in the mouth, unlike other red meat prepara-tions, and its taste is alleviated courtesy the fine paste of onions, tomato and mint in which it is cooked.

With the number of options pres-ent, the dessert counter looked quite enticing and left us spoilt for choice. however, the desserts were predominantly Western, consisting of fruits tarts, cheesecakes, mud-cake, and my personal favourite, Chocolate Raspberry Mousse. The only Middle eastern option was Mohalabia, a pudding scented with cardamom and rose water. As an ardent fan of Um Ali, I can claim to have had better.

Na3Na3 is a remarkable blend of Middle eastern hospitality and authentic Arabic home style cooking. With views of cascading waterfalls and an ambience filled with warmth and simplicity and the wide range of Arabic delicacies, one is sure to be left enchanted.

- Sachi Kumar

Price: AeD 150 per person

Address: The Address Downtown, Dubai Mall, emaar Boulevard, Dubai, united Arab emirates

Phones: +971-44384335

Crispy and fluffy from the outside and

absolutely soft on the inside, the Falafel were cooked using different ingredients rather than

the conventional ones used elsewhere.

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CuLInARy mAESTRO

"Eat. Think. Break. Decode a recipe. Reconstruct. Build it into my fantasy of a dish; that is my secret culinary

technique" – Chef gaggan Anand


CuLInARy mAESTRO

Chef Gaggan Anand has put Indian food on the world culinary map courtesy his whimsical take on traditional Indian fare. Guests at his Bangkok restaurant, Gaggan, can look forward to a menu filled with quirkily named dishes at prices that will not make them stagger in be-wilderment. He tells Vinita Bhatia how he likes to channel his restless creativity and eccentricity to create soul food that makes people sit up and take notice.If you bump into Chef Gaggan Anand on Bangkok’s streets you will probably think he is a guitarist of a rock band rather than an ac-claimed chef; much less a chef who is listed at No 3 on the ‘Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants’ and No 17 on the ‘World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ lists of 2014! Blame this presumption on his grungy attire and his casual demeanour, which is a welcome change from chefs who take them-selves too seriously.

The first thing you notice about Gaggan is his restlessness; a give-

away of the numerous creative ideas that keep popping into his head. even whilst talking or cook-ing, he is constantly contemplating ways to reinvent Indian food to appeal to a wider audience.

he believes he was blessed to be born in Kolkata because he was exposed to numerous cuisines while growing up. Today, he draws from these food memories to ad-venturously reinterpret traditional Indian dishes by mixing them with modernist cooking techniques. he also counts himself fortunate that

he had the opportunity to intern at el Bulli, under the guidance of Michelin star chef Ferran Adrià. This internship was the turning point of his life and gave him the direction he desperately sought to stand apart from the crowd of chefs proliferating globally.

he talks to Vinita Bhatia about learning from the master of molec-ular cuisine, thinking up whimsi-cal names for conventional Indian dishes and coming up with ideas to continue being a culinary wizard.


vinita Bhatia (vB): why reinvent Indian cuisine using futuristic techniques instead of present-ing it in a rustic and traditional fashion?gaggan Anand (gA): everyone was presenting Indian cuisine in the classical way. I wanted to be totally different. Indian cuisine is so old and has so much science be-hind its cooking techniques, which we never investigated properly. What people may call smoking we call ‘Duaa’. What people call pres-sure cooking or slow cooking, we call ‘Dum Pukht’. What people call blanching and seasoning, we call ‘Chowk’. I am trying to demystify this science behind Indian classical cooking. I want to make the bond between science and food relevant in the dishes I create.

vB: you interned at El Bulli under the guidance of miche-lin starred Spanish chef Ferran Adrià. how did that experience affect you?gA: It blew my mind completely. It changed the way I used to think about food and revolutionized the way I cooked. If I were to draw an analogy, it is like a person chang-

ing their phone from a low-end Nokia model to the Apple iPhone 6! vB: Opening an Indian restau-rant that employs futuris-tic-sounding scientific techniques in Bangkok must have been a great risk. Did you have a Plan B, in case this venture failed?gA: If the food is good, the loca-tion of a restaurant does not have any importance. If Gaggan was opened in any part of the world, I am sure it would have been a suc-cess. This is because my approach was honest and fresh and it offered a different experience for diners.however, had Gaggan failed, my Plan B would have been to open a noodle shop on the streets – that is where you make money in Bang-kok!

CuLInARy mAESTRO

Born in Kolkata, Gaggan Anand would shadow his mother in the kitchen while she cooked. he finished his diploma in hotel Management and then worked in Taj Group at Orient express and Zodiac Grill. One of the highlights of his young career was cooking for erstwhile uS President, Bill Clinton, and former president of India, Abdul Kalam, when he was just 22.

he moved to Thailand in 2007 to work with a few restaurants. he then did an internship at el Bulli in Spain for a couple of months, where he learnt to understand every ingredient down to its core and the science of cooking. Armed with this knowl-edge, in December 2010 he launched Gaggan in Bangkok with a single objective in mind – to re-introduce Indian cuisine albeit with a twist. And he is still going strong!

“Had my restaurant Gaggan failed, my Plan B would

have been to open a noodle shop on the streets – that is where you make money in

Bangkok!”

This dish is inspired from a bird’s nest but Gaggan Anand tried to also recreate his memory of Kolkata’s

street food.


CuLInARy mAESTRO

vB: molecular gastronomy is a much-abused term these days, denoting anything fanciful or out of the ordinary on a dinner plate. what is your take on this? gA: I like to call the food I cre-ate as progressive Indian cuisine. I would call it moving ahead by taking giant leaps. It is all about changing how and what we cook. At Gaggan, we use scientific tech-niques to create soul food. We do

not try to bedazzle or create a wow factor without any taste.

vB: most renowned fine-dine restaurants that serve progressive cuisine have exorbitant prices for their dishes. why did you choose to price dishes at gaggan in a range that is within the reach of the common man?gA: We are located on a Bangkok street where good food starts at a mere $1. For $ 2 or $3, you can get

drunk and also have a 2-course meal in Bangkok. The market there is very tough when it comes to pricing your dishes. If your restaurant’s price is too high, you are under the radar of serious food critics and food lovers. We are already among the top priced restaurants in Bangkok. however, since we know that Bangkok is a highly discounted city, we decided to be part of this system. We wanted to be noticed and have high footfalls at the same time. hence, we keep doing a tightrope walk with our prices at Gaggan, especially because we use fresh produce, which is expensive. We also keep changing our menus cyclically every quarter, and in-troduce newer dishes all the time, so people have something to look forward to every time they visit Gaggan. vB: how exactly would you de-fine your culinary techniques?gA: eat. Think. Break. Decode a recipe. Reconstruct. Build it into my fantasy of a dish – that is my secret culinary technique.

vB: Do you think that when peo-ple step into gaggan in Bangkok, they come to experience Indian food differently, or merely to check out the poster boy who became famous?gA: I think it is a bit of both. In the end, what matters is that they leave happy. I cannot satisfy every-one who dines at Gaggan. howev-er, my team and I try our level best to do what we can with good food.


vB: Are you the think tank in the kitchen when it comes to creat-ing new dishes or do you let your team thrash out their ideas too?gA: When it comes to cooking, I am a coach and not someone who comes across as an idea killer. We have 27 people from seven nationalities working together in the kitchen to create the Gaggan experience. This is the reason why we bring all our expat teams from Spanish, French, Thai and other countries to taste food in India, in order to think and recreate their own version. On my last trip to India, once we landed, I made them try Masala Thumbs up. Then my mixologist created Inde Libre, with Masala Thumbs up, Yuzzu Lemon, Kala Namak Foam and Old Monk Rum.

vB: you had plans to open your restaurant in mumbai by 2013. Is the plan still on?gA: Yes, it was my plan, but the plan was delayed. It will eventually happen, but I don't know when. The idea, inspiration and the way I want to place the Indian restaurant is the same as what I had in mind in 2013. however, I cannot give you any dates on when it will come into being. All I can say is that it will happen for sure! vB: when you finally hang up your kitchen apron, what would you like to spend your time on?gA: (laughs heartily) We don't have any aprons in our kitchen! But to answer your question, I think it will spend my time on myself, my car, my loud music and a drive back home!

- vinita Bhatia

With the ‘Poor Man's Porridge' Gaggan Anand has reinvented the popular phirni with Jasmine rice ice-cream, pistachio gel, almond and flower glass with

some rose perfume sprayed on it.


PurBa Banglar KhaBar…

… that is how Dhakai cuisine is referred to. The Bengali phrase ‘Purba Banglar Khabar’ tries to surmise the bygone cuisine and culinary tra-ditions prevalent in undivided India formerly known as East Pakistan, presently Bangladesh. While the nations may be divided, the citizenry is still united in their love for this fare.

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There was a time when kings and governments would try to draw boundaries between

regions, claiming each for them-selves. But the local populace would try to keep the camaraderie going with their new neighbors based on the one thing that can unite people, transcending all dif-ferences – food.That is how the Dhakai cuisine came into being. It was food that was enjoyed by the people of

an undivided India, where the land now called Bangladesh was earlier known as east Pakistan. Dhakai cuisine can trace its roots to the 7th century when Turkey established trade links and ruled the region. Later, Muslims took over, and then the British, which has left a solid impression on the actual Dhakai cuisine. even the exiled royals, Wajid Ali Shah and Tipu Sultan, who spent their last few days there left a mark on the cuisine.

After India’s partition in 1947 and the Indo-Pak battle of 1971, a large number of people migrated to West Bengal, especially around the border regions, while others moved to different parts of Bangla-desh. This explains how the Dhakai cuisine spread throughout the two countries.

ThE REgIOnAL vARIAnTSDhakai cuisine traditionally em-phasizes freshly caught seafood and freshly slaughtered meat as


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well as the fresh vegetables and lentils that are served with rice. The cuisine offers plenty of spicy or non-spicy options with freshly ground spices climaxing to give a splendid taste despite of the ab-sence of red chilies, tomato and onion.

The cuisine obviously has varia-tions from Bengali food, as people from Bangladesh or Dhaka shifted their base and re-located to various parts of Bengal. It can be broadly categorized under the following:Western region: Concentrating on Khulna and Jessore areas as well as those close to the West-Bengal cities of Balurghat, Ingrej Bazar, Murshidabad and Dinajpur, the popular dishes here include Fish head Curry, Dalna, Chachari, hil-sha with mustard, etc. The gravies are slightly sweet and ingredients are often fried before being added to the gravy.

Northern Region: The North Ben-gal area, especially Cooch Bihar, Jalpaiguri and Siliguri also boasts of certain Dhakai traits. The main characteristic of this region’s foods are they arefocused on desserts

and use banana, raw papaya, raw mango, urad dal and grilled or smoked vegetables.

Southern Region: The Sunderban belt has also been influenced in their style of cooking methods. Dry Fish (Shutki), Bamboo shoots, sea fish, etc. are the specialty of this region, and the people here use lots of chilli flavours and coco-nut in their preparations.

unIQuE ChARACTERISTICSApart from West Bengal in In-dia, there are pockets in Mumbai, Bangalore and New Delhi where one can enjoy Dhakai cuisine. It is also widely available across certain regions of europe especially in London, where over 13 restaurants serve this cuisine. even the Middle east has quite a satisfactory num-ber of people who incorporate this in their staple diet.

Fresh produce, freshly ground spices, dum cooking style and sautéing form the fundamentals of this cuisine. unlike contemporary Bengali cuisine, which is impro-vised to cater to customer needs, Dhakai cuisine is more home-style

and largely remains unchanged.What makes this cuisine stand apart is that it derives a natural sweetness from onions, by cara-melizing it. Another conventional aspect is that only mustard oil or ghee is used as the cooking medi-um. Whole black mustard seeds and freshly ground mustard paste are also a typical combination in most dishes. A pungent mustard sauce, called kasundi, forms the base ingredient for fish dishes and vegetable dishes popular in Dhaka. Some of the well known dishes of Dhakai cuisine include Khasir Ge-lasi, Morog Pola, Ilish Paturi, Tehri, Kochur Saag and Pati Sapta.

POPuLAR IngREDIEnTSDhaka’s main staple food of sweet water fish comes from its riv-er-dominated regions, which are home to thousands of fish types like hilsa, Rui, Katol, Koi, Pabda, Boal, Citol, Magur, Sing, Mola, Dhlea, Kajoli, Kakchi, Aar, etc. The staples of Dhakai cuisine are rice, with varieties like Chinigura and Kalijeera, which is a common component of everyday meals, and to a lesser extent, unleavened whole wheat bread like naan.

AAm DOI ER SARBATServes: 4 • Preparation time: 5 minutes • Assembly time: 10 minutes

Ingredients: Ӳ 500 gm mango Ӳ 650 gm curd

Ӳ 2 Kagji limes, squeezed Ӳ Sugar, as required

method:1. Puree the mango.2. Whisk the pureed mango with curd.3. Add juice of Kagji limes and sugar, as per taste.4. Serve chilled.

Recipe courtesy: Chef Asish Roy, Executive Chef of Gateway Hotel EM Bypass Road Kolkata


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muRgIR JhuRI KABABServes: 4 • Preparation time: 15 minutes • Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients: Ӳ 1 baby chicken Ӳ 2 tsp garlic-garlic paste Ӳ 3 tbsp ghee Ӳ 1 cup onions, sliced Ӳ ½ tsp whole cumin

Ӳ 1 tbsp green chili, chopped Ӳ 1 capsicum, sliced Ӳ ½ tsp turmeric Ӳ 1 tsp chili powder Ӳ ½ tsp black pepper

Ӳ 2 tbsp lemon juice/vinegar Ӳ 1 tsp salt Ӳ ½ cup oil Ӳ 2 eggs

method:1. Marinate the chicken with ginger-garlic paste for a hour.2. Roast it in a preheated oven at 190°C for 20 minutes,

turning over repeatedly to ensure it is well cooked.3. After roasting, de-bone the chicken.4. Shred the pieces into long narrow strips.5. heat ghee in a pan and sauté the onions and dried chili, till

the onions turn brown.6. Crush the dried chilli. Keep the onion and chilli aside.7. heat the rest of the ghee in the same pan and add the

whole cumin, green chilli, capsicum and turmeric and the

chicken slices.8. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes.9. Once the water dries up, mix in the fried onion and

crushed chilli.10. Keep heating for a few more minutes.11. Make an omelette of the eggs and cover the dish with it.

Serve hot.


Traditional Bangladeshi Wet Rice

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The five prominent lentils varieties used in most dishes include Bengal gram (chola), pigeon peas (oror), black gram (biuli), and green gram (moong). Pulses are used almost exclusively in the form of 'dal', except 'chhola', which is often cooked whole for breakfast and is processed into flour (beshon).

Various varieties of green veg-etables and fruits are available throughout Bangladesh. A host of gourds, roots and tubers, leafy greens, succulent stalks, citrons and limes, green and purple eggplants, red onions, plantain, broad beans, okra, banana tree stems and flowers, green jackfruit

sapla, Arbi Stem, kochur loti and red pumpkins, are to be found in the vegetable markets or kacha. Country chicken, seafood, fish and mutton dishes are favorites across Bangladesh and the cuisine also incorporates various drinks such as Labang, Sorbots.

A full Dhakai meal might look like it is meant for those with gargan-tuan appetites, but the cooking techniques involved actually make it easy to digest. You can easily wolf down Paat Patar Bora (fried jute leaves), then scoop up Khasir Gelasi (lamb curry with potatoes) or Boal Do Pyaza (a fish gravy) with some Polao or Chatur Paratha

(bread made from gram flour), and then polish off some desserts like Chitoi Pith. Then glug down a cou-ple of glasses of Borhani, which is a digestive drink, to help you deal with any tummy pangs.

- vinita Bhatia with inputs from Chef Asish Roy, Executive Chef of Gateway Hotel

EM Bypass Road Kolkata

BhunA KhIChuRIServes: 6

Ingredients: Ӳ 750 gm Chinigura Rice Ӳ 500 gm moong dal Ӳ 1 tsp ginger paste Ӳ 2 tsp garlic paste Ӳ 10 green chillies, slit

Ӳ 4 cinnamon sticks, each an inch long Ӳ 5 cardamoms, gently cracked Ӳ 5 cloves Ӳ 6 tbsp ghee Ӳ 1 cup onions, sliced

Ӳ 2 tsp salt Ӳ 50 gm assorted vegetables like

carrots, beans, green peas cauliflower, parboiled

method:1. heat a tawa. Dry roast the dal on it, until it emits a

wonderful aroma.2. Wash the dals, drain and place them in a large mixing

bowl.3. Wash the rice, drain and add to the dal.4. Mix in ginger and garlic and green chillies. Mix it well.5. In a deghchi or pot, heat 3 tbsp ghee. Toss in cinnamon,

cardamom and cloves and sauté until fragrant.6. Chuck in 1 tbsp onions and cook until they are soft.7. Stir in the ‘rice-dal-chillies’ mixture and sauté for a couple

of minutes.8. Pour in enough water to come up to 1 ¾ inch above the

rice-dal.9. Sprinkle salt and bring to a roaring boil. Cook for 2 mins.

Then turn down flame to medium low, and partially cover with the lid to let some steam escape.

10. When most of the water has evaporated, put the lid on tight. Cook over low flame for 10 minutes or until rice is al dente.

11. Add the vegetables to it.12. While the khichuri is cooking, heat 3 tbsp ghee and sauté

½ cup onions, until they are golden.13. using a slotted spoon strain out the onions and keep aside.14. Before taking the deghchi/pot off the flame, drizzle the

ghee left from the fried onions over the khichuri and mix up.

15. Take deghchi/pot off the flame. Fluff the khichuri with a fork, the grains should be separate and ready.

16. Place the onions over the khichuri before serving.


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InTERnATIOnAL FLAvORS

Ecuador is often known as the sweet capital of the world. After all, it accounts for over 60% of the premium cocoa grown globally. But this country’s cuisine goes beyond cocoa. In fact, it throws up many surprises for a food lover, from the complex style of cooking the most basic dishes, to simple ingredients that are elevated to gourmand levels!

Did you know that ec-uador has many active volcanoes and probably the greatest densities of

volcanoes globally? Did you know that all the three species of vam-pire bats are found in ecuador? Did you know that almost 60% of the world’s premium cocoa is produced in ecuador?

These were some of the facts that ecuador’s Consul General in India, héctor Cueva Jácome, revealed. he also spoke about the country’s

unique culinary culture, for in-stance the bizcochos, a shortbread pastry that is special to Cayambe near the country’s capital, Quito.

POPuLAR IngREDIEnTSecuador has five distinct geo-graphic regions: the Galapagos Islands, the Pacific Coast, the Amazon rain forests, the Cloud Forest and the Andean Sierra highlands. each region has its unique cuisines, though there are some similarities too. One such commonality is the use of fresh

seafood, especially along the Pa-cific Coast, the Galapagos Islands and the Amazon.

The use of fresh local produce is very evident in most dishes of the country. Vegetables, beans (a favourite with ecuadorians) and fruits are cultivated in the high-lands and all over the country, which ensures supply of fresh produce all year round.

Rice and corn are part of the staple diet of the country along with



MOre Than COCOa

some meat and vegetables. The other must-have in every meal in certain parts of the country is plantains and other tropical fruits. This healthy diet accounts for the robust physiques and untiring stamina of the locals! however, what this country is better known for is its premium quality cocoa, the core ingredient for the one food that has the world swooning – chocolate. In fact, one archaeological study suggests that ecuador was probably the original home of the cocoa bean. SOmE TRADITIOnAL FARELike any other country, ecuador too has some traditional dishes that might not be popular, but are regarded as comfort food by locals. here is a look at some of them,

which include the ingredients that are most commonly found in the cuisine: FAnESCA ECuATORIAnAThe folks of ecuador make the most of the seafood that is amply available to them. This traditional soup is quite special because it is only made once a year – during easter. It contains a variety of porotos, or beans, some of which are found only in the Andean Sierra highlands including fava beans and cannellini beans. Some-times mellocos, which are small and very starchy Andean potatoes as well as chochos, also known as lupini beans, are also added to this easter soup. Another key ingredi-ent to Fanesca is the Bacalao Seco or dried salt cod, which has to be soaked for 24 hours properly so

that the saltiness of the fish does not make the soup bitter.

LLAPIngAChOSPotatoes are one of most import-ant crops in ecuador, especially amongst the Andean highlanders, and there are over 200 varieties of potato found in the country. It is part of most meals, in one form or the other.

Llapingachos is an ecuadorian dish, which can have different con-sistencies, either to make patties or thick potato pancakes stuffed with cheese. Also called Yapingachos, they make for a great breakfast or brunch dish, and can be served on their own as an appetizer or even as a full meal accompanied by a tasty peanut sauce or Salsa De Mani, fried egg, chorizo style


Fruits, cooked in a variety of ways form a large part of the ecuadorian diet.



sausages, pickled onion and to-mato salad, some lettuce, avocado slices and Aji Criollo hot sauce.

EmPAnADAS DE vIEnTO!Cheese is another ingredient that makes its presence felt in ecuador-ian cuisine. empanadas De Viento combines gooey cheese and onions

inside a crispy fried empanada that is topped with powdered sugar. This appetizer is often served during breakfast or as an afternoon snack.

One thing can be said about ec-uadorian cuisine – it is not for the faint hearted. Though exquisite

and comforting at the same time, the one thing an average person needs after a hearty meal is a nice long siesta. enough said.

- vinita Bhatia with inputs from Priscila Moscoso

Meiller, the Trade Officer represent-ing Ecuador in Mumbai

Pork Fritada are amongst the most popular street food at ecuador and also features in weekend meals

at most homes in the country.



EmPAnADAS DE vIEnTOA combination of the gooey cheese and onions inside a crispy fried empanada and topped with sugar, these empanadas are the perfect

breakfast or afternoon snack with a hot cup of black coffee.

makes: 10 • Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients: Ӳ 2 cups all-purpose flour Ӳ ¼ tsp salt Ӳ ½ cup butter Ӳ 1 egg Ӳ 4 – 5 tbsp water

Ӳ 1 tsp baking powder Ӳ ½ cup water

For Empanadas De Viento Ӳ 2 ½ cups grated cheese

Ӳ 1 cup finely chopped white onion Ӳ ½ cup sugar for sprinkling Ӳ Canola or sunflower oil for frying

method:For Empanadas:

1. Whisk together mix the flour and salt.2. Add the butter, egg and water and mix until you get a

clumpy dough.3. Form a ball, flatten slightly, and chill in the refrigerator for

about 30 minutes.4. Roll out the dough into a thin sheet and use round moulds

to out round disc shapes.5. use immediately, or store in the freezer for later user.

For Empanadas De Viento:6. Mix the grated cheese and chopped onions together.7. Spoon the cheese filling on the center of the each

empanada disc.

8. Fold the empanada discs and seal the edges. First pressing gently with your fingers, next use a fork to press down and seal, finally twist and fold the edges of the empanadas and then use the fork again for the final sealing.

9. Chill the empanadas for at least an hour. This will help them seal better and prevent leaks.

10. heat a frying pan with enough oil to fry the empanadas.11. Fry the empanadas in the frying pan, until they are golden

on each side or about a minute per side.12. Place the empanadas on paper towels to drain any excess

oil, sprinkle generously with sugar and serve warm.

Recipe courtesy: Priscila Moscoso Meiller

You can rest these appetizers for about an hour in the fridge be-

fore frying them.



PESCADO EnCOCADOPescado Encocado or fish with coconut sauce is an Ecuadorian coastal dish of fish seasoned with citrus and spices and then cooked in a

sauce of cilantro, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers and coconut milk.

Serves: 4-6 • Preparation time: 15 minutes • Cooking time: 35 minutes

Ingredients: Ӳ ¼ cup lime juice Ӳ Juice from 2 oranges Ӳ 4 garlic cloves, crushed Ӳ 1 tsp cumin powder Ӳ 1 tsp paprika

Ӳ 1 tsp ground coriander seeds Ӳ 1.3 kg halibut or any other fresh fish,

cut in medium size chunks Ӳ 2 tbsp sunflower or olive oil Ӳ 1 medium sized onion, diced

Ӳ 2 bell peppers, diced Ӳ 4 Roma tomatoes, peeled and chopped Ӳ Salt, to taste Ӳ 400 gm coconut milk Ӳ 3 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

method:1. Mix the lime juice, orange juice, crushed garlic, cumin,

paprika, coriander powder and salt in a small bowl.2. Marinate the fish chunks in this mixture for 1 to 2 hours.3. heat oil in a deep bottomed pan to prepare the base for the

sauce. Add the diced onions, tomatoes, bell peppers and salt.

4. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat.5. Add the coconut milk to this sauce. Mix it in well and cook

for about 10 minutes.6. Add the fish fillets, cover partially and let simmer for about

20-25 minutes.7. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with ecuadorian style rice

or fried ripe plantains.


If you prefer a thicker sauce,

add ½ tsp of tapioca starch or cornstarch

before adding the fish.


FAnESCA Recipe for fanesca, an Ecuadorian soup or stew made only during Easter. This soup is made with bacalao or salted cod, squash, fava

beans, chochos, corn, peas, porotos or fresh beans, rice, onions, garlic, cumin, achiote, peanuts, milk, cream and cheese.

Serves: 12 • Preparation time: 8 hours • Cooking time: 45 minutesIngredients:

Ӳ 200 gm dried salt cod, cut into medium sizes

Ӳ ½ cup fresh zucchini Ӳ ½ cup squash Ӳ ½ cup of cabbage, shredded Ӳ 1 cup fava beans, cooked and peeled Ӳ 1 cup corn kernels, cooked Ӳ ¾ cup green peas, cooked Ӳ ½ cup lima beans, cooked Ӳ ½ cup cannellini beans, cooked

Ӳ ½ cup lupini beans, peeled Ӳ ½ cup of cooked rice Ӳ 2 tbsp butter Ӳ ¼ tsp of achiote or annatto powder Ӳ ¼ cup white onion, diced Ӳ ¼ cup red onion, diced Ӳ 3 garlic cloves, crushed Ӳ ¼ tbsp ground cumin powder Ӳ ¼ tbsp of dry oregano Ӳ ¼ tsp ground pepper

Ӳ ½ cup roasted peanuts Ӳ 4 cups milk Ӳ ¼ cup of heavy cream Ӳ 85gm cream cheese Ӳ ¼ cup feta cheese Ӳ Couple of sprigs of cilantro or parsley,

finely chopped Ӳ Salt, to taste

method:1. Soak the salt cod in water for 24 hours, changing the water

every 6-8 hour. each time the water should be less and less salty at the end.

2. Cook the squash and zucchini separately until they are very tender, with enough water to cover them. Drain the water and blend the vegetables to make a puree.

3. Boil the shredded cabbage with a small amount of water for about 3 minutes, drain and add the cabbage to the squash puree.

4. In a large stock pot, heat the butter over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, achiote, cumin, oregano and pepper. Cook it for 5 minutes until the onions are tender.

5. Add the cooked rice to this soup and mash it with a potato masher to make a thick sauce or puree.

6. Add the squash and zucchini puree and mix well.7. Add 1 cup of milk and the fava beans, corn, green peas,

lima beans and cannellini beans. Stir in well and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir frequently to avoid the ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

8. Meanwhile, bring 2 cups of milk to boil. Add the soaked and desalted cod, and boil for about 10 minutes. Add this to the soup.

9. At this point, taste the soup and add salt if needed.10. Blend the peanuts with 1 cup of milk. Add this to the soup,

and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring frequently.11. About 5 to 10 minutes before serving, add the lupini beans,

cream and cheeses. Stir to help the cheeses meld into the soup.

12. Add the chopped cilantro or parsley and stir well. Add additional salt and pepper, if needed.


This soup is so versa-tile that you can serve it

with hard-boiled egg slic-es, fried ripe plantains, fried

cheese empanadas or avocado slices. Place these on top of the soup or serve them on

the side.


LLAPIngAChOS Llapingachos are potato patties or pancakes stuffed with cheese, cooked on a hot griddle until crispy brown and served with peanut

sauce, fried egg, tomato and onion curtido, avocado slices and hot sauce.

makes: 12 medium sized patties • Preparation time: 60 minutes • Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients: Ӳ 5 large Russet potatoes, peeled and cut

in chunks Ӳ 2 tbsp sunflower oil

Ӳ ½ cup white onion, finely chopped Ӳ 2 tsp achiote, ground Ӳ 1 cup grated quesillo or mozzarella

cheese Ӳ Salt, to taste

method:1. Boil the potatoes until soft and mash it2. heat the oil over medium high heat in a deep-bottomed

pan. Add onions and achiote. Cook for about 5 minutes until the onions are soft.

3. Mix in the onion sauce and add salt to taste.4. Cover the potato dough and let it sit at room temperature

for about an hour.5. Make small golf size balls with the potato dough.6. Make a hole in the middle of each ball and fill with the

grated or crumbled cheese.7. Shape the dough into thick patties and let rest in the

refrigerator for about ½ to 1 hour.8. Cook the patties on a hot griddle until browned on each

side. Be careful when turning them as they will be very delicate.


Serve with a fried egg,

roast chicken (opt), peanut sauce, tomato

and onion curtido, avocado slices and

hot sauce.


RECIPE CORnER

Join THe HeAlTHy DesserT Club


RECIPE CORnER

Cherries are rich in antioxidants that help fight against the free radi-cals in the body and prevent cancer, heart disease and slow the ageing process. Orange is the ideal source of Vitamin C, which keeps cold and sniffles at bay, and is also packed with potassium, folates and fiber. And both are available with your fruit sellers this season. So why not use them to make to nifty and unusual desserts? The good chefs at Westin Hyderabad Mindspace show you how!


RECIPE CORnER

CAnDIED ORAngE AnD FuDgE ChOCOLATE TARTDo you like your cakes just like coffee; rich, delicious and decadent? Then this recipe is right up your alley!

makes: 3 • Preparation time: 20 minutes • Cooking time: 20 minutesIngredients:For tart base

Ӳ 250 gm Oreo biscuit, hand crushed Ӳ 50 gm butter, melted

For Chocolate Ganache Ӳ 100 gm white chocolate

Ӳ 100 ml fresh cream

For chocolate fudge Ӳ 100 gm chocolate Ӳ 100 gm butter Ӳ 1 tsp orange essence

Ӳ 2 eggs Ӳ 2 egg yolks Ӳ 30 gm sugar Ӳ 30 gm flour

method:For tart base1. Mix the Oreo powder and melted butter together in a bowl. Press the mixture into the base and sides of a tart tin. Chill in the

fridge for 10 minutes.

For Chocolate Ganache2. Chop the chocolate and keep aside.3. Boil the cream and mix with chocolate until it becomes smooth.

For Chocolate fudge mix4. Preheat the oven to 190°C.5. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler.6. Whip the eggs and egg yolk together with sugar with a hand mixer.7. Fold the flour to the egg mixture. Then add the chocolate-butter mix and orange essence.8. Pour the mixture to lined tart shells.9. Bake it for 12 minutes.10. Let the tarts cool.11. Fill a piping bag with the chocolate ganache. Pipe it over the tarts. Alternately, you can also pour a thin layer of the ganache

over the tarts.

If you want to make this dish in a hurry, use readymade tart

shells.


RECIPE CORnER

You can also make this dish with

other pitted fruits like peaches, plums or

apricots.

ChERRy CLAFOuTISThe French do it best - making desserts, that it. And this is classic French dessert where fresh cherries are suspended in a

pancake-like batter.

Serves: 8 • Preparation time: 40 minutes • Cooking time: 30 minutesIngredients:For Clafoutis

Ӳ 200 gm fresh cherries, de-seeded Ӳ 3 eggs Ӳ ½ tsp salt Ӳ 100 gm almond powder

Ӳ 100 gm sugar Ӳ 300 ml milk Ӳ 60 gm butter, at room temperature Ӳ 1 tsp vanilla essence

For Tart Shell Ӳ 300 gm flour Ӳ 150 gm butter Ӳ 1 egg Ӳ 150 gm icing sugar

method:For Clafouti1. In a bowl, beat the butter and sugar

until light and fluffy, with electric mixer or a hand mixer.

2. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating

well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

3. Add the milk, salt and vanilla

essence.4. Add flour, and keep aside.

For Tart Shell5. Mix the flour, butter and icing

sugar until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

6. Add an egg at a time and mix till it comes together to form a smooth ball.

7. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling out.

8. Lightly flour your work surface and

roll out the dough to small rounds about 1/2cm thick.

9. Roll the dough on a rolling pin and place the dough over the tart pan.

10. Lift the overhanging pastry and press into the side edges of the pan.

11. When all the pastry is pressed into the sides and base, run your rolling pin over the top edge of the tart pan to remove the excess dough.

12. Preheat the oven to 180°C. 13. Cut a sheet of baking paper just

bigger than the tart shell.14. Place in the pie shell, then fill with

rice or pastry weights and bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then remove the paper or weights and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes to crisp and dry out.

For Assembling15. Preheat the oven to 180°C. 16. Place the cherries in the Clafoutis

batter.

17. Fill the tart shell with this mixture batter and bake at 180°C for 30 minutes.

18. Let it cool for 20 minutes and serve after dusting it with some icing sugar.


RECIPE CORnER

ORAngE OLIvE OIL CAKE wITh ROASTED wALnuTSWho knew that two fruits, orange and olive, can come together to create a moist and surprisingly light cake?! The sprinkle of

roasted walnuts adds just the right amount of crunchiness to it.

Serves: 10 • Preparation time: 15 minutes • Cooking time: 30 minutesIngredients:

Ӳ 175 gm refined flour Ӳ 150 gm sugar Ӳ 2 eggs Ӳ 75 gm olive oil

Ӳ 5 ml vanilla essence Ӳ 4 tbsp orange zest Ӳ 1 tsp baking powder Ӳ 3 gm baking soda

Ӳ 3 gm salt Ӳ 50 ml fresh orange juice Ӳ 30 gm roasted walnuts

method:1. Preheat oven to 180°C. 2. Grease and lightly dust a 9-inch round cake pan with some flour.3. In a medium sized glass bowl, blend the sugar and eggs with a hand mixer on medium speed until blended and light.4. Drizzle in the olive oil and vanilla and mix until light and smooth. 5. Add the orange juice, zest and roasted walnuts and mix well. 6. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in another medium bowl.7. Add the flour mixture half at a time to the wet ingredients and mix on low just to incorporate.8. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 30 minutes. 9. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack. 10. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

You can substitute the olive oil with

canola oil, since it has a much milder flavor.


RECIPE CORnER

ChOCOLATE mARQuISE wITh ORAngE CRèmE BRuLEE STuFFIng

It is rich, it is creamy, and it is stuffed with a tart filling. Can you refuse this sinful, but immensely satisfying, dessert?

Serves: 4 • Preparation time: 2 hours 25 minutes • Cooking time: 60 minutesIngredients: For crème brulee

Ӳ 200 ml fresh cream Ӳ 200 ml milk Ӳ 200 ml orange juice Ӳ 9 egg yolks Ӳ 50 gm sugar Ӳ ½ tsp orange zest

For sponge Ӳ 5 eggs Ӳ 125 gm sugar Ӳ 100 gm flour Ӳ 25 gm cocoa powder

For chocolate marquise Ӳ 200 gm dark chocolate Ӳ 60 ml milk Ӳ 20 gm sugar Ӳ 150 gm whipped cream Ӳ 5 gm gelatin Ӳ 3 egg yolks

method:For Crème brulee1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Line an

8-inch baking dish with aluminum foil and set aside.

2. Gently heat the cream and milk together till lukewarm.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk sugar and egg yolks lightly. Add orange juice and orange zest.

4. Add cream and milk to this mixture.5. Pour this mixture into the baking

dish and bake for 35 minutes.6. Cool it on a wire rack until cool.

Then freeze for two hours.7.

For Sponge8. Grease a deep round cake tin and

line base with baking paper. 9. Sift the flour and baking powder

together.10. Preheat oven to 180°C. using an

electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl for 6 minutes or until

mixture is thick, pale and tripled in volume.

11. Gradually sift flour mixture over egg mixture while simultaneously folding in with a large metal spoon until just combined.

12. Fold slowly melted butter.13. Pour mixture in prepared tins. 14. Bake for 20 minutes or until cakes

have shrunk away from the sides slightly and spring back when gently touched.

15. Turn out on to baking paper-lined wire racks. Carefully peel away the baking paper, then leave to cool.

16.

Chocolate marquise17. . 1. Soak the gelatin in a little water

and keep aside.18. heat the milk in a saucepan. 19. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs

and sugar slightly.20. Once the milk is lukewarm, add the

egg and the sugar mix.21. Keep cooking at slow heat till it gets

custard-like consistency.22. Add the gelatin. 23. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler

or the microwave and add it to this mixture.

24. Keep aside for cooling.25. When the mixture cools down, fold

whipped cream into the mixture. The mousse base is now ready for use.

For Assembling 26. using cake rings cut the sponge.

This will be the base for the dessert.27. Place crème brulee on the sponge.28. Pour chocolate marquise and freeze

for 6 hours.29. Remove from the fridge, cut into

slices and serve cold. Garnish with orange slices.

While making the chocolate mar-

quise, be careful while mixing the whipped cream to avoid cur-

dling.


RECIPE CORnER

To make the dish more dramatic, re-

place the orange seg-ments on the cheese-

cake with candied orange peels.

ORAngE ChEESECAKEEveryone loves Oreos cookies. Now imagine it is topped with some soft, sweet citrusy cheesecake. Well, stop imagining and

try this awesome combination pronto!

Serves: 8 • Preparation time: 5 hours 30 minutes • Cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutesIngredients:For Base

Ӳ 200 gm Oreo biscuit Ӳ 100 gm unsalted butter

For Cheese Cake Mix Ӳ 500 gm cream cheese Ӳ 120 gm castor sugar Ӳ 30 gm cornflour

Ӳ 3 eggs Ӳ 1 tsp orange zest

method:For Base1. Crush Oreo to a coarse powder and

place it in a bowl. 2. Add butter and mix well till it

resembles breadcrumbs.

For Cheesecake Mix3. Press the Oreo mix on the base of a

silicon cake mould. 4. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.5. Whisk cream cheese, sugar and

cornflour mix until light and smooth. Add orange zest into cream cheese mixture and mix until well

blended. 6. Add eggs one at a time and cream

until smooth.7. Pour the cheese filling over the

prepared biscuit base.8. Bake in oven at 160°C for 60 mins or

until firm.

9. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Refrigerate the cheesecake for 5 hours.

10. Remove from the mould garnish with orange segments and serve cold.


RECIPE CORnER

Kiwis: The Versatile option


Gifting sweets, chocolates, dry fruits and candies is passé this festive season. Why don’t you shift gears and try gifting your friends and family

some kiwis instead? Before you scoff this off, here’s why kiwis make a great gifting option. They are healthy and packed with vitamins,

minerals, fiber, potassium and folic acid. They are naturally low on fat; one kiwi has just 57 calories per 100gms. And they are affordable.

Also, there are so many unusual desserts you can make from this fruit. Chef Harpal Singh shares two classic Indian and two traditional

international dessert recipes. Surely, you are now convinced about gifting these luscious tropical fruit this festive season!

RECIPE CORnER


RECIPE CORnER

KIwI yELLOw ShRIKhAnDThis luscious and simple dessert gets a slightly tart flavor with the inclusion of kiwi. And it sure beats the run-of-

the-mill mango shrikhand any day!


Ӳ 4 Yellow Kiwi, peeled Ӳ 1 cup sugar Ӳ 2 cup thick yoghurt

thick Ӳ 3 tsp green cardamom powder Ӳ 2 tablespoon pistachios,

chopped

method:1. Puree the yellow kiwi.2. In a thick bottomed pan, cook this puree with the sugar until well blended. Set aside to cool.3. Now blend all the other ingredients in a bowl along with kiwi puree, except the chopped pistachios.4. To serve, take shot glasses. Pour the mixture in piping bags and pipe in a glass bowl.5. Chill it in refrigerate until cool. Garnish with pistachios and serve chilled.


RECIPE CORnER


RECIPE CORnER

yELLOw KIwI uPSIDE-DOwn CAKEWho does not like a soft, moist cake? If kiwis be present within, you can happily bid adieu to the guilt of indulging

in every slice of this lusciousness.


Ӳ 4 Yellow Kiwis Ӳ 100 gm refined flour Ӳ 2 tbsp brown sugar Ӳ ¼ tsp soda bicarbonate Ӳ 1 tsp baking powder

Ӳ 2 tbsp butter, at room temperature

Ӳ 100 gm sugar Ӳ 100 gm butter, at room

temperature

Ӳ 2 eggs Ӳ 1 tsp vanilla essence Ӳ 8-10 cherries, seedless

method:1. Preheat oven to 180°C.2. Peel and slice two kiwis and chop the rest into 1 cm cubes.3. Mix the chopped kiwis with 2 tablespoons of refined flour and set aside.4. Take a cake mould and brush with butter and sprinkle the brown sugar around.5. Now line the cake with kiwi slices.6. Sieve flour, baking powder and baking soda together.7. In a separate bowl, whisk together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.8. Add the eggs and continue beating for a few minutes till the mixture is frothy.9. Add the vanilla essence.10. Now add the flour and fold the mixture carefully.11. Pour over the flour mixture in the mould. Tap the mould gently.12. Bake in preheated oven for about 55 minutes.13. Cool and remove the cake from the mould carefully.14. Turn it upside down and garnish with seedless cherries on top.


RECIPE CORnER


RECIPE CORnER

KIwI AnD SABuDAnA KhEER wITh COCOnuTSabudana kheer is reminiscent of days when one is fasting. But throw in some kiwis and it transform into a dish

for days of feasting!


Ӳ ½ cup sabudana Ӳ 3 kiwis Ӳ ½ cup sugar Ӳ 50 gm dry coconut cut into

slices Ӳ 2 cups coconut milk Ӳ 2 tbsp raisins Ӳ 2 tbsp cashewnuts

Ӳ 1 tbsp chironji seeds Ӳ ½ tsp green cardamom powder Ӳ 1bsp ghee for cooking Ӳ Water, as required

method:1. Soak the sabudana in lukewarm water for about an hour. 2. In a pan pour ghee and sauté cashewnuts, raisins, chironji and sliced coconut until they turn light brown.3. Peel and puree kiwi to a fine paste.4. Now cook along with sugar for about 10 to 12 minutes5. Next add the soaked sabudana and 2 cups of water to the kiwi paste and cook until the sabudana turns

translucent and the mixture is a little thick. This should take about 6 minutes.6. Now add the coconut milk and cook for about 4 minutes.7. Sprinkle green cardamom powder, nuts and coconut slices and mix well.8. Remove in a bowl and refrigerate.9. Serve chilled.


RECIPE CORnER


RECIPE CORnER

whITE ChOCOLATE AnD KIwI mOuSSE wITh mARShmALLOwS

Fluffy white chocolate and fluffier marshmallows are a match made in heaven. And when they are melded with the tangy taste of the kiwis, you know this is what ambrosia ought to taste like.

Serves: 3 • Preparation time: 4 hours • Cooking time: 20 minutesIngredients:

Ӳ 15 marshmallows Ӳ 3 kiwis

Ӳ ¼ cup sugar Ӳ ½ cup white chocolate

Ӳ 1 cup whipped cream

method:1. Melt the marshmallows in a glass bowl on a double boiler. 2. Make kiwi puree in a blender.3. Cook kiwis and sugar together for about 7 minutes or until the mixture thickens.4. Now remove 2 tablespoons of the mixture and add the rest to the melted marshmallows.5. Remove the white chocolate from the hot water bath and add it in the mixture. 6. Once the chocolate has melted and the whole mixture has become homogenous, shift the bowl to an ice

bath.7. Once the mixture has reached room temperature, add whipped cream.8. Chill the mixture in a refrigerator until the mixture is stiff.9. Pour in a piping hot bag and portion in individual glasses.10. Top up the glasses with a spoonful of the cooked kiwi mixture kept separately.11. Refrigerate for about 3 hours.12. Serve chilled.

Images courtesy: Zespri KiwifruitRecipes courtesy: Chef Harpal Singh


RECIPE CORnER


EvEnTS

reADy-To-Drink sAngriAs FroM Turning poinT

Trinity Vintners have introduced two ready-to-drink sangrias in 330ml packs. Priced at INR 135 each, it can be enjoyed straight from the bottle

or simply by pouring it into a glass with some chopped fruits.

Ashwin Deo, the founder of Trinity Vintners, pre-sented Turning Point Sangrias at Mumbai

recently in keeping with his brand’s overall promise of making wines ‘young, approachable and fun’. This range of ready-to-drink san-grias come in two variants – ‘Met-ropolitan’ that has cranberry and orange flavor and ‘Nashik Mule’ that tastes of orange and ginger ale. The sangrias come in attractive 330ml packs, priced at INR 135 each. “Over the last few years, sangrias have become the largest selling cocktail in the country with lead-ing hotels and bars serving them by pitchers! It is this trend that Turning Point decided to capture

in a convenient bottle,” said Ash-win Deo. eNJOYMeNT TWICe OVeR The Turning Point Sangria can be enjoyed either straight from the bottle or simply by chopping some fruits into a glass, and pouring the sangria in, with some ice. This makes it an easy and convenient beverage to stock while enter-taining guests or while relaxing at home. It can be enjoyed at a sun-downer, over brunch, with dinner or even while casually catching up with colleagues and friends after work. “India is a vibrant market with one of the youngest populations in the world. The Indian consumer is increasingly enjoying a globe-trot-ting lifestyle whilst taking pride in

all that is Indian, with high aware-ness levels about lifestyle bever-ages, alcoholic or non-alcoholic,” adds Ashwin. Turning Point Sangrias was re-leased initially in Maharashtra at leading retail stores, restaurants, lounge bars and nightclubs. Over the coming months, it will be available in other states as well. Ashwin Deo started Trinity Vint-ners and the JLT range of wines in 2011. These wines are now available in over 300 outlets across Mumbai and also in Pune, Nag-pur, Punjab, Delhi, Bangalore, Pondicherry and Calcutta and are soon being launched in Rajasthan, hyderabad and Goa.

- Team CaLDROn


EvEnTS

“Over the last few years, sangrias

have become the largest selling cocktail in the country with leading hotels

and bars serving them by pitchers”

- Ashwin Deo, Founder, Trinity

vintners


BOOK ShELF

The

Bangala Table: An iconic TomeIn today’s day and age, writing

a cookbook is a fairly sim-ple job. We put together the recipes, establish and execute

a testing protocol, have the end re-sults styled and photographed, the whole laid out and we’re there. Yes, I’m trivialising what is a few hun-dred hours of work. I am however trying to establish a set protocol and attempting to illustrate that it isn’t rocket science as most ele-ments of the whole are known and finite. In fact, it’s so simple, there’s this very lovable chef out there who seems to writing the stuff in his sleep, coming out as he is with cookbooks on every imaginable subject, so much so, it isn’t even worth the fuel to go attend his book launches any longer.

Truth be told, I wasn’t about to attend the launch of The Bangala Table, which was then, just anoth-er cookbook. how wrong I was. It took the promise of a personal meeting with the primary author, Sumeet Nair, to get me to heave myself out of my trusty recliner and waddle over to Lodhi Road to meet the man.

In the city of Delhi, where one’s general illiteracy is spoken of with much pride and not having read a single book in one’s life is worn as a badge of honor, meeting a man who has not only heard of C.G. Jung, but actually read his work, is a man I’d like to meet again.

Sumeet Nair appeared to be one such. The Bangala Table started with a holiday suggestion from a friend and ended up in the hal-lowed precincts of The Bangala, awed by historical surroundings, the Chettiar culture and the abun-dance of traditionally cooked food intermingled with delicious British favorites of unknown origin. It was there that Sumeet and his family met the guardian of all that in-spired at The Bangala, Meenakshi Meyyappan and there began a saga of love for all things Bangala.

The Bangala Table therefore doesn’t really conform to any particular cuisine. It is a pains-takingly put together archive of all that is served at The Bangala. What makes The Bangala Table iconic isn’t any one element the

author has chosen to include. It is the sum of the whole that makes The Bangala Table, the sum of all desires for me. Consider the very eloquently written Foreword by Guy Trebay, which would be considered deep for a south Indian food writer and startlingly insight-ful for a person not born into an Indian culture. Next, the wealth of information Sumeet has includ-ed, such as details on the Chettiar culture, the origins of The Bangala and its cuisine, an almost complete inventory of traditional equipment required to replicate the recipes within the book and my favorite – a chart at the end that provides english, hindi and Tamil names for all the spices used in the book.

Add to that the delightful photo-graphs by Rohit Chawla scattered throughout the volume, which not only bring the dish to life, but have also been toned in such as manner so as to do justice to the overall tone of the book and to the very interesting and high quality paper used for printing. The recipes are beautifully written, the ingredients well organised, each representative


BOOK ShELF

The Bangala Table is a book you will buy if you love your food; a book you will strive to acquire because you like books; a book you will feel pleasure when seeing it rest on your bookshelf because you now own a small, but significant slice of the chronicles of Indian culinary history.

of the whole, the whole organised into highly relevant sections, so a complete novice can present a meal a Chettiar would be proud of. There are some British selections too, which are quite indicative of the period during which the Ban-gala used to operate in its past life. The recipes, to me, appear authen-tic and soul satisfying.

To put it simply, books such as The Bangala Table have character. Most other books get by with time

and a few coffees. Books such as this demand the investment of much thought, love, passion and time; time spent acquiring knowl-edge, inhaling the atmosphere of a culture, imbibing the character of a cuisine, the anthropomorphising of a building; all in all becoming one with every element in the book; being the book.

The Bangala Table is a book you will buy because you love your food, a book you will strive to

acquire because you like books, a book you will feel pleasure when seeing it rest on your bookshelf because you now own a small, but significant slice of the chronicles of Indian culinary history.

- Sid Khullar

Title: The Bangala TableAuthor: Sumeet NairPrice: INR 1600


BOOK ShELF - RECIPES

BEETROOT PORIyALSpread out on a banana leaf, a typical lunch at The Bangala would include a poriyal, a kootu and a curry /

kozhambu or sambar. Beetroot Poriyal is served often during the season and is subime when accompanied with Snake Gourd Kootu and Lentil Ball Curry.

Ingredients: Ӳ 300gm (approx) Beetroot,

peeled and chopped Ӳ 2 tsp sea salt

For the Tempering Ӳ 1.5 tbsp vegetable oil Ӳ 1.5 tsp black mustard seeds Ӳ 6 dried red chilies, mild,

preferably goondu milagai Ӳ 2 tsp urad dal, hulled, split

Ӳ 18 curry leaves Ӳ 65 gm (approx) onion, peeled ad

finely chopped Ӳ 2/3 cup grated coconut Ӳ 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

method:1. Pour 4 cups water into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Slide in the the chopped beets,

and after about 5 minutes, add the salt. Continue to boil, covered, for another 4 to 5 minutes, or until the beets are soft. Drain in a colander and set aside.

2. For the tempering, add the oil to a large kadhai or wok over high heat. When the oil is hot but not yet smoking, slide in the mustard seeds and red chilies. Once the mustard seeds start to crackle, add the urad dal. Stir. Add the curry leaves and onion, and give it a good stir, cooking the mixture for about 2 minutes.

3. Follow by adding the reserved beets, stirring well to combine. Add the salt and coconut, and saute for about a minute. Remove from heat and serve.

Images courtesy: Rohit ChawlaRecipe courtesy: The Bangala Table, by Sumeet Nair, Meenakshi Meyyappan with Jill Donnenfeld



ChICKEn ChETTInAD PEPPER mASALASpread out on a banana leaf, a typical lunch at The Bangala would include a poriyal, a kootu and a curry /

kozhambu or sambar. Beetroot Poriyal is served often during the season and is subime when accompanied with Snake Gourd Kootu and Lentil Ball Curry.

Ingredients: Ӳ 1/2 cup vegetable oil Ӳ 1 2 inch piece, cinnamon Ӳ 2 green cardamom pods Ӳ 150 gm (approx) onions, peeled

and finely chopped Ӳ 1/2 cup fresh tomato puree from

about 2 medium tomatoes Ӳ 1 tsp sea salt, or to taste

Ӳ 600gm chicken (1 small or half medium chicken), cut into 8 pieces

For the Wet Paste Ӳ 1 tsp fennel seeds Ӳ 2 tsp black peppercorns Ӳ 1 tsp cumin seeds

Ӳ 4 dried red chilies, mild, preferably goondu milagai

Ӳ 1 tsp coriander seeds Ӳ 1/2 tsp turmeric powder Ӳ 1 tsp peeled and grated garlic Ӳ 1/2 tsp peeled and grated ginger

method:1. Place a heavy tawa or a flat pan on low heat and dry roast the fennel seeds, peppercorns, cumin seeds,

dried red chilies and coriander seeds until fragrant and slightly darkened. Grind them on an ammi or a mortar and pestle, adding a little water, or run them in a wet grinder / blender to make a paste. Add turmeric, garlic and ginger to the wet paste and mix well. Set aside.

2. Place a kadhai or wok over high heat and add oil. When hot, but not smoking, add cinnamon, cardamom, onion and stir. Reduce heat to medium and saute for about 4 minutes or until onion is lightly colored before adding the tomato puree. Saute for an additional minute.

3. Add the reserved masala paste to the kadhai, breaking it apart with a spoon and stirring well to incorporate. Continue to cook for about 10 to 12 minutes, scraping the bottom of the kadhai, till the oil separates from the masala. The mixture should look well cooked and should have darkened.

4. Sprinkle in the sea salt and stir. Then add the chicken, stirring to coat well with the mixture. Continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes before adding 1.5 cups of water. Scrape the bottom of the kadhai to deglaze and bring to a boil on high heat. Let boil for 3 to 4 minutes, then turn heat down to low and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, covered; stir occasionally.

5. uncover and reduce till the sauce thickens to coat the chicken. Remove from heat, serve immediately.

Cook's note: For a healthier alternative, reduce the quantity of oil to 1/4 cup to begin, and then add more oil if needed to prevent the masala from sticking and burning.

variation: Substitue an equal weight of quail (around 6 quails) for the chicken to make Quail Chettinad Pepper Masala. Cut the quail into two pieces each, separating the breasts from the legs and follow the recipe above. Also try this masala with potatoes or mushrooms for a vegetarian Chettinad Pepper Masala.

Images courtesy: Rohit ChawlaRecipe courtesy: The Bangala Table, by Sumeet Nair, Meenakshi Meyyappan with Jill Donnenfeld


PERSPECTIvE

selling wine:no lAugHing MATTer


Dharti Desai of FineWinesNMore explains how lack of standardization

and rationale in policy-making is nipping the wine import business in

the bud, with the numerous rules and regulations governing the trade in India.

PERSPECTIvE


have you sipped an international wine on your last overseas trip, then tried to source it

India, only to be put off by its ex-orbitant price tag? Chances are you decided to wait for your next trip abroad to stock up on that particu-lar wine, because buying it in India at inflated prices just did not make sense.

Don’t blame the wine importers or the brands for charging you a bomb. They are as helpless in this entire scenario despite their desire to promote wine as a drink that suits every palate.

nOT ALL IS ROSyThere has been an increase in the number of wine drinkers in In-dia, especially amongst the youth. Wine is perceived as a sophisti-cated drink to hold and sip and Indians can’t seem to get enough of it. No wonder then, that inter-national wine brands are keen to enter Indian shores.

As rosy as this picture may seem, the story of wine selling is not as rosé (pun intended) as one would presume it to be. India’s per capita wine consumption is just 10 ml per annum (or two teaspoons), according to a report from the In-dian Grape Processing Board! The uS Department of Agriculture's Global Information Network noted that while Indian wine produc-tion initially tripled between 2004 and 2010, it started dipped to 11 million litres in 2011, and has been struggling to see the numbers rise since.

Ask people in the business about this dismal performance despite

the growing acceptance of the liquor, and you will hear stacca-to whispers about how the high import prices and duties are killing what is actually a great market.

TAXIng TImES In ThE wInE BuSInESSAll importers of high-end spirits and fine wines are reeling under the heavy import duties. Customs duty on wine is currently 150% and with the addition of various other taxes, the final tax on im-

ported wines is around 164%. Importers and distributors have no option but to pass on this cost to the customer, which is why im-ported wines have inflated prices, which in turn means customers opt for local brands rather than the international varietals.

Since the consumption of fine wine is still marginal in India, because the high prices discourage cus-tomers, business houses are com-pelled to import by sea and that too in smaller numbers. Airfreight charges would further escalate the price of the wines.

Moreover, even when we import by sea, we ought to ship the wines in containers, but we don’t. This is because we are allowed to store the wines in a bonded warehouse for only 90 days. After that, the government levies an interest rate of 11% on the customs duty, which makes our landed cost even more prohibitive.

nOT A wInE-FRIEnDLy BuSI-nESS PLACEAs if that were not enough to dissuade wine importers, there is excise tax to deal with. Thankfully, Maharashtra has become a more ‘wine-friendly’ state in recent times, probably because several of the vineyards and wineries are situated in the state.

But the other states levy excise duty on wine arbitrarily and there is no duty uniformity across the country. While most importers understand that liquor trade has to be heavily regulated, what is truly required is standardization and au-tomation in this regulation. More importantly what is needed is that rationale in regulatory practices as well.

For example, FineWinesNMore has to register all its wines every financial year, even if it is the same wine, along with the maximum retail price (MRP). While this hap-pens, we cannot bring in any new wine, despite having orders for it. Because of this, every year, import-ers literally have no sale during the entire month of April and a major portion of May.

In the case of FineWinesNMore, since we have our own wholesale trade we can bring in as much

PERSPECTIvE

Unless you have your financial

planning narrowed down to the last penny, the wine import business

can sap your investment before

you realize it!


PERSPECTIvE


stock of wine before 31st March, so that our sale is not affected. But can you imagine the plight of the smaller importers who might not hold a wholesale license? They lose business for almost two whole months, due to an archaic rule.

COmPLICATED LICEnSE STRuCTuREOne more bother in the wine import business is that all duties, including customs, octroi and ex-cise, have to be paid upfront. This could be anything between 200 – 250% depending on the state you sell your products in.What compounds matters is that one has to extend credit to their sellers and can expect their fund recovery only after 60 days. unless you have your financial planning narrowed down to the last pen-ny, the wine import business can

sap your investment before you realize it! This is one reason why international wine players often find it hard to emulate their global business practices in India.The ideal way out is to procure licenses for all three aspects of the wine trading business – import, wholesale and retail. Of course, this is not an easy feat and needs lot of paperwork and documen-tation to be filed and reviewed before acceptance.

Despite being in the business for eight years, FineWinesNMore will take another three to five years to have a profitable bottom line. Initially, we planned to invest and build our brand for five years and then turn around the business. But we are a long way from our initial game plan, courtesy the tax and duty structure in the country.

Customs duty on wine is currently 150% and with the addition of various other taxes, the final

tax on imported wines is around 164%. Importers and distributors have no option but to pass on this

cost to the customer, which is why imported

wines have inflated prices, which in turn means

customers opt for local brands rather than the international varietals.


EDuCATIng CuSTOmERSWith the world becoming one global village, more Indians are travelling internationally and tast-ing different wine varieties. They have become more discerning and demanding. Sadly, advertising about liquor is prohibited in India.Can you imagine how difficult it is to educate customers about the nuances of the latest wine brands, when your mouth is muzzled? That is another challenge that wine sellers in the country have to deal with.

Forward-thinking wine brands have tried to create experiential campaigns for a select target au-dience either by inviting them for exclusive wine tasting and wine pairing workshops, or by organiz-ing wine trails where customers can learn about vineyards from various parts of the world in an engaging manner.

In the case of FineWinesNMore, we have opened a wine tasting room and retail boutique in Mum-bai where wine lovers can bring

their friends and colleagues for wine tasting and explore wines from various parts of the world. This is the best way to connect customers with the wide variety of wines available and push the demand for it. As for the business hassles associated with wine im-port, like they say, that show must go on!

- Dharti Desai,Founder, FineWinesNMore


Chef Ranveer Brar has 15 years experience in the culi-nary field and more than 10 years at kitchen manage-ment positions. Currently, he is Senior Executive Chef at the Novotel Mumbai Juhu Beach.

Ranveer’s fascination with food began on the streets of Lucknow and he started his cooking career at the age of 15. He was the youngest executive chef at the age of 25 to have ever worked at a five-star hotel. Indian restaurants and spice shops he's overseeing include ‘Dosa Factory’ and ‘Shalimar’ in Cambridge and ‘Mantra’ in Boston. He cooked for Heads of States in India and Governors in the US and at the James Beard House New York.

Ranveer’s career highlights include opening more than a dozen restaurants in India and overseas and also opening a five star hotel and completely renovating another. He also appears on Zee Khana Khazana’s cooking shows ‘Taste Bhi, Health Bhi’ and ‘The Great Indian Rasoi’.

Ask THe eXperTASK ThE EXPERT

Cooking might seem like a daunting affair, what with shopping for the right ingredients, cleaning them, chopping them and following recipes to the T. 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.“Can you help me with the recipe for Chicken Kodi Kuru Andhra style?”Amrita Shikhar Varma, NOIDA

Chef Ranveer Brar: “The first thing you need to make this dish is the typical Andhra spice paste. To make this, you will need 1 tbsp coriander seeds, 2 tbsp poppy seeds, ½ tbsp freshly grated coconut, 2 tsp Guntur chili powder, 2 tsp turmeric powder, 6 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp sliced ginger, some salt and water. Dry roast all the ingredients and then using some

water in a mortar and pestle, grind it to a fine paste.

To make the dish, sear 7-8 pieces of country style chicken, in 3 tbsp oil in a pressure cooker. Add 1 tsp chili powder and ½ tsp turmeric powder along with a little water and let it cook for 4-5 whistles.

In a kadhai, add 3 tbsp oil, few curry leaves, 4 green chillies. After a couple of minutes, add 1 finely chopped onion and saute till it turns light brown. Now add the pressure

cooked chicken, the Andhra spice paste. Saute for 3-4 minutes.

Add around a cup of water, some garam masala and salt and let the gravy simmer. You can garnish with chopped coriander leaves before serving with some turmeric rice.”

“I need some quick recipes of detox juices for my first intake of the day. I usually have lime with honey in warm water, but now I think my palate needs a change.”Chhaya Nain Agarwal, Kolkata


ASK ThE EXPERT

Chef Ranveer Brar: “That is a very healthy habit. Here are some combi-nations you can try for juices. Blend 2 carrots with few mint leaves, ½ tsp grated ginger and ½ lime, or make a juice of 2 apples with 1 tbsp honey and pinch cinnamon. The other nat-ural option you can try is drinking a glass of coconut water along with some fresh mulberries or make a juice of these two ingredients.”

“what can a person make with baby onions? I recently saw them in abundance in the market.”Naima Sheraz, Riyadh

Chef Ranveer Brar: “Baby onions are widely used to make pickled on-ions by soaking them in in vinegar. Pickled onions go well as an accom-paniment to cheese boards, salad counters, Indian or Middle Eastern main course dishes, etc. They can also be chopped and used as topping for open sandwiches.

You can also cook baby onions with butter and balsamic vinegar till tender and serve as accompaniment to roasted meats. Alternately, add them whole in stews, gravies and casseroles.”

“my year old daughter has severe cough. She is unable to even lie down. Are there any home reci-pes or remedies that I can offer her to make her feel comfort-able?”Paridhi Agarwal, Canada

Chef Ranveer Brar: “Caring for an ailing infant can be difficult, so please take care of your health as well. Firstly, your daughter needs lots of rest. You can give warm (not hot) plain chicken soup or other warm liquids like plain dal.

Honey coats and soothes the throat and helps tame cough. It is help-ful and better than cough syrup for treating children's night time coughs, so give her a teaspoonful before she sleeps. Honey often gets hard at normal room temperature, so add ¼ cup of warm water into 1 tsp of honey once in day and keep giving it to her. I hope your daugh-ter recovers soon and is blessed with good health always.”

“Is there a substitute for soda while fermenting dosa batter?”Simran Chadha, New Jersey

Chef Ranveer Brar: “Yes, you can add 4 tbsp cooked rice while grind-

ing 1 kg of batter for dosa. Then keep it for fermenting for 8 hrs. Your batter is ready.” “I have chocolate flavored custard with me. Please suggest some yummilicious recipes that I can make from it.”Shivani Ankush Sharma, New Delhi

Chef Ranveer Brar: “You can use it as filling for éclairs. Alternately, you can cut the custard in square shapes and dip it in dark melted chocolate and serve chilled.”


mIX IT uP


On his maiden visit to India, renowned bartender Ondrej Pospichal enticed top bartenders and media people in New Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai with his unique cocktail making style. The head bartender of one of London’s most prominent bars, MASH, he trained bartenders in India on bartending basics, mixology sessions and a detailed insight into

the creation of tea and coffee cocktails.

Ondrej prepared some exquisite cocktails with local Indian ingredients and spices, which were appealing to the eye and definitely pleasing to the palate. We played the fly-on-the-wall to bring you seven of his signature

Grey Goose-based cocktail recipes.

DeadlySins

mIX IT uP


mIX IT uP

new DilliThis vodka-based drink packs a spicy Indian punch mixed as it is with fresh dill, celery and

fennel seeds.

Ingredients

50 ml grey goose vodka25 ml apple juice

25 ml fresh celery juice15 ml fresh lemon juice

15 ml sugar syrup2 dashes celery bitters

5 cm fresh dill sprigs

Method

Chill a martini glass.Mix all the ingredients in a cocktail share.

pour into the martini glass.garnish with the dill leaves.

Images courtesy: Grey Goose Vodka


mIX IT uP


mIX IT uP

l’AperTiFAn irresistible mix of vodka, martini, and gin, this potent drink can knock your socks off!

Ingredients

35ml grey goose vodka15ml lillet blanc/Martini Dry2dashes green Chartreuse25ml bombay sapphire gin

Method

keep a martini glass handy.stir all the ingredients well.

pour straight into the martini glass.



mIX IT uP


mIX IT uP

welCoMe punCHA dash of pineapple juice with some lemon juice, a drizzle of Campari, and wine syrup – now

isn’t that the kind of welcome afforded to royalty?

Ingredients

50ml grey goose vodka15ml Campari

35ml homemade sage & white wine syrup30ml pineapple juice

25ml fresh lemon juice

Method

If you want to keep things simple, make this drink in a wine glass. To funk things up, use a fine china tea cup instead.

Mix all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker.pour them into the glass of your choice.

Top it up with some sparkling wine or soda or tonic water.To make things interesting, throw in a couple of ice cubes



mIX IT uP


mIX IT uP

sense oF gooseThis cocktail invokes the spirit of India with the perfect infusion of spices, the presence of which is

alleviated with the aroma of cardamom.

Ingredients

40ml grey goose vodka1 big slice fresh ginger

10ml Tequila blanco15ml honey water20ml lemon Juice

6 pieces green cardamoms25ml Mozart black (or Crème de Cacao Dark)

Method

shake all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker.stir and strain into a chilled rock glass.



mIX IT uP


mIX IT uP

worlDwiDe sweeTIf you have a sweet tooth, this vodka cocktail will mete out your just desserts!

Ingredients

4ml black pepper infused grey goose l’orange vodka30ml Crème de peche (peach liqueur)

30ml coffee liqueur10ml sugar syrup

2tsp cocoa powder1 pinch sea salt

Method

shake all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker.stir and strain into a chilled rock glass. Add a couple of ice cubes.



mIX IT uP


mIX IT uP

HinT oF greenA splash of Grey Goose Le Citron vodka with some muddled pineapple coriander juice over some

cracked ice. Enjoy this twist on the traditional Caipiroska.

Ingredients

40ml grey goose le Citron vodka30ml homemade pineapple-coriander syrup

20ml fresh lemon juicesparkling wine, as required

Method

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker.vpour it in a champagne glass.

Top it up with sparkling wine.



mIX IT uP


mIX IT uP

lorD oF THe DogTown

Lord it over the party with this fresh vodka cocktail with the sweet tangy notes of White Grapefruit Juice.

Ingredients

40ml grey goose vodka20ml Agave water

25ml white grapefruit Juicesparkling wine, as required

Method

Mix all ingredients in a cocktail shaker.pour it in a champagne glass.vTop it up with sparkling wine.



mIX IT uP


hAnDS On

An indulgentEvening at Home

Entertaining just got easier; and it has nothing to do with packaged dips, ready-to-eat snacks or vintage wines delivered to your home. It is about bringing together your select group of friends and enjoying fine

food and excellent service – all in the comfort of your home.

The common perception of catering is two-fold. One is where you hire a caterer for a large event

and the other is where food comes in containers, which is emptied into bowls, and then served to a small gathering of friends.

So what happens when the crowd is smaller but as eclectic as they come? The answer is The Basil Kitchen. They offer Off Prem-ise Catering, Wedding Catering, Corporate Catering, Indian Food, Modern european, Pan Asian and Mediterranean cuisines.

heralded by Chef Raman Kohli, the catering service gets a boutique tag because he designs the menu based on a preferred cuisine and customizes it to suit the client. My reservations were to do with space. Since I was also entertaining guests from the F&B community, run-off-the mill ‘grub’ definitely wouldn’t do!

JuST SIT BACK AnD RELAXChef Kohli came in a few hours be-fore my guests were expected with a team of sous chefs, line cooks and servers. All I had to do was sit pretty, literally. The evening’s menu was multi-cuisine as requested by

my guests and it read like a dream considering I spent days discuss-ing what we like and don’t like (all of which was borne with extreme patience!).

Our starters for the evening were a mix of european and Asian, which included Bocconcini and Sundried Tomato Bruschetta, Goat’s Cheese wrapped in vine leaf served with Onion Jam, Peach Relish and Raspberry Vinaigrette, Signature Lychee Profuse with horseradish and feta, Pear and Stilton stuffed mushrooms, Crispy Basa Fritti and Chicken Piri Piri.


hAnDS On

The ranage of options possible with The Basil Kitchen's home catering services.


Among the Asian starters, we had the Watermelon and Jalapeno Sushi, Mushroom and leek yakitori with a soya glaze, Chicken Bulgogi and Miso Salmon. And in the In-dian selection we chose the Papad Crusted Achari Paneer Tikka, Baby Bhutte Ke Kebab with a fantastic Burnt Garlic Raita, Murg Paan-e-Bahar, which were chicken morsels wrapped in betel leaf! This came from a conversation I had with chef about whether betel leaves were used in Indian cooking or not.

The Kandhari Anar aur Mutton ke Seekh were my favourite pick for the evening; the sweetness of the pomegranate worked won-ders with the smoky flavour of the seekh. For the kids, we had pizza, which came in the form of the Quattro Fromaggio with Pear.

SERvICE ThAT PuTS yOu AT EASEThe starters were beautifully executed with ample attention to presentation. Coupled with the

pleasant ambiance of the servers, it made the evening as special. The Lychee Profuse had fresh lychees filled with fresh feta and steeped in a vodka/horseradish dressing, served elegantly on a skewer and was a hit with the crowd!

For the Indian main course my dining room was dressed to the hilt with Indian accents like earth-enware stands instead of the staid bain-maries and a two tiered cor-ner for salads and sides like papad and raita. The selection of dishes included Punjabi Kukad, Nihari Gosht with an amazing Sharabi Jhinga Biryani which took drunk-en shrimp to a whole new level.

For vegetarians we chose Paneer Tikka Masala, Subz Miloni and the Dal Bukhara, which was as close to the ‘real’ thing as we have tasted in a long time! ‘The Little Yellow Box’, in collaboration with The Basil Kitchen curated the desserts. It came in the form of little shots of Drunken Tiramisu, Banana and Chocolate Cake Truffles and Choc-olate Caramel Mud Pie. Though a part of me wanted desserts that fit the dinner menu, the way the shots moved off the counter, I was prob-ably wrong in marrying elements of the same cuisine.

I was most taken by the level of professionalism expressed by the team at The Basil Kitchen and de-spite the fact that they need a lot of space to pull this off, they managed in the little space I could provide. I did however miss out on the live pasta kitchen and the live grills but assuming you have a backyard or a rooftop, your party could go a couple of notches further.

- Parul Pratap Shirazi

hAnDS On

The starters were beautifully executed

with ample attention to presentation. Coupled with

the pleasant ambiance of the servers, it made the

evening as special.


QuICK TAKE

Don’t rub your eyes in disbelief if you walk into Burger King in Japan and are served a burger that is charcoal black. There is nothing wrong with your vision. Burger King in Japan has released two all-black burgers with black burg-er buns, black sauce and a black cheese slice. These two burgers, called Kuro Pearl and Kuro Di-amond, will be available in its outlets, until November 2014.

The Kuro Pearl Burger, priced at 480 yen, has a black bun and black cheese colored with bamboo char-coal, black soy-based sauce with onions with squid ink added to it

- on a beef patty with black pepper. The fresh lettuce, tomato, onion and mayonnaise in Kuro Diamond Burger retain their original colour, though everything else in the burg-er is predictably black. It costs 690 yen.

ever since Burger King Japan introduced these new additions on its social media pages, the burgers have been getting mixed responses. Calling it a Darth Vader burger, Brazil’s Sandro Reis found it super cool and wanted it to be launched in his country. uS-based Justin Joyner too hoped to try the Kuro Burger in America.

Angela Atejera, a young Japanese student, said she would not mind trying this burger as long as it tast-ed good and the ingredients did not taste yucky. Michael Robinson however hoped it tasted better than it looked.

We predict that Goth lovers would not mind taking a big bite out of this burger. however, regular peo-ple might just stick to their regular Big Burger products, us included!

- Team CaLDROn

Burger King has debuted two all-black

burgers in Japan, called Kuro Pearl and Kuro Diamond. Would you take a bite out of this Goth-inspired snack?

An All Black Burger From Burger King

In Japan

Images courtesy: Burger King, Japan


ROAmIng ROvER

grandeur on A grand scaleThe Corinthians Resort and Club at Pune is set amidst sprawling 25

acres of greenery with impressive architecture. It might not be the perfect weekend getaway in Maharashtra, but it is definitely worth visiting if

some R&R is on your mind

After a few weeks of staying cooped up in Mumbai’s concrete jun-gle who would not want

to head out for a weekend getaway that promises to pack in something for everyone in the family? espe-cially when Mumbai’s climate has been acting worse than a hor-mone-riddled teenager on the cusp of adulthood – drenching you with sweat one moment before flooding you with rains the next? Well, we definitely could not resist this lure. After some quick re-search, we zeroed onto The Cor-

inthians Resort and Club in Pune. The brochure promised we could escape the cityscape to sprawling 25 acres of verdant countryside. And we could definitely use such an escape! The 4-hour drive from Mumbai to Pune is quite scenic at spots until you hit the approach road for The Corinthians Resort and Club. Then you realize that our astronomers could well have established a lunar station here, since this 5 km odd stretch definitely has more craters than on the entire circumference of the moon. We were tempted to

make a u-turn and skulk back to Mumbai, but the promise of lush greenery awaiting us filled us with firm resolve to make it to this jour-ney’s end. Once you hit Nyati county, so called because all housing com-plexes here were built and are owned by Nyati Builders, a sweep-ing driveway leads up to the resort. Incidentally, The Corinthians Resort and Club is also owned by Nyati Builders and was initially built as a club for residents of their housing complexes. Over time, as Pune emerged as the ideal


ROAmIng ROvER

The chest-high chess board on the lawn


ROAmIng ROvER

weekend destination for folks from Mumbai and Gujarat, the resort came into being in 2009. As of April 2012, JhM Interstate India hotels & Resorts is responsible for managing this property. LuXuRIANT SuRROuNDINGSThe external facade does not give an inkling to the hugeness of the property. Neither are you prepared to see squat buildings that spell

vastness at every turn once you walk up the cobbled pathways of the property.

The architect has dived into Gre-cian and Moroccan history to build single-storey structures that literally transport you to the Mediterranean region. The mug-gy climate adds to this delusion. Incidentally, for those who did not know, Corinthian actually stands

for one of the three ancient Greek and Roman architecture styles. The ornate Corinthian design is based on all things magnanimous and ornate.

There are gazebos amidst lit pools of water, winding stone stair-ways that lead to stone trellis and amphitheatres styled on Rome’s famous Colosseum. And just when you turn a corner, you encounter


a giant stone pharaoh sitting on a marble seat and another set of winged egyptian animals standing guard near a stone gallery. Frankly, walking around the prop-erty is like embarking on an arche-ological exploration, provided you have the energy to trudge up and down gentle slopes. If you need some respite during your walks, you can lean against the many date

palms dotting the resort and other shrubbery, which are impressively landscaped and well maintained. Or one of the Nano cars from the hotel will drop you off from one point to another within the prop-erty. A PLEASAnT STAy guARAn-TEEDThe main building, with the ad-ministrative offices and the Supe-

rior class of rooms, is a sandstone adobe-styled structure. The Corin-thians has 116 rooms spread across several buildings throughout the property. There are 61 Superi-or rooms and 50 Deluxe rooms as well as 5 spacious executive rooms. What impressed us most about these rooms was that each came with a shaded verandah or capacious balcony where you could relax in the evening with a drink in

The pathway to Corinthians Club and Resort


A night time view of The Corinthians Club and Resort


hand. The rooms have the usu-al amenities of a mini-bar, tea and coffee making machine, TV, electronic safes and spacious bathrooms with toiletries from Biotique. The resort has thought-fully created special rooms for differently-abled guests on the low-er level of the main building. WiFi is complimentary on check-in and works fairly well throughout the property, barring a few blind spots, as we discovered. A business center is also located on the premises with a conference room for corporate clients who

often hold workshops or employ-ee motivation activities over the weekend at the resort. These activ-ities are often held on the grassy lawns, which we were told is also a hotspot for open-air weddings. In fact, the resort has become quite popular for destination weddings in the city, given that it offers a selection of nine banquet halls and outdoor areas. Guests staying at the resort can also avail of the helios gym, White Water Spa, Athena library as well as Kappucchino salon. The resort’s activity department thoughtfully

organizes various recreational and sporting activities throughout the day that children and adults alike can participate in. Youngsters can gambol in the outdoor play area with sandpit and garden play equipment or settle down in the indoor game area for a game of carom, table tennis and virtual gaming on the Wii playsta-tion, while their parents enjoy a round of billiards at Mirabello. In short, if you are full of zip there is no dearth of activities you can get involved in at the resort.


The swimming pool


DInIng OPTIOnSThe resort has five dining places for its club members and staying guests with separate entries from the main street and the resort areas. Two of these eateries, the 1st Brewhouse and Salsa restaurant, have been thrown open to the gen-eral public as well. Anuj Majumdar, F&B Manager of the resort informed us that the

1st Brewhouse was in fact the first microbrewery of Pune and it offers freshly brewed beer from Doolally along with finger foods. Guests can ask for a guided tour of the brew-ery as well as tasting of the various beers handcrafted by brewmaster Oliver Schauf from Germany, be-fore making their choice. While the name ‘Salsa’ conjures up an image of a Tex-Mex restaurant,

this multi-cuisine establishment offers Continental and Indian fare (strangely excluding Oriental). Pyramisa is the other multi-cuisine all-day resto-bar on the proper-ty, which offers the predictable Indian, Continental and Chinese dishes. The swimming pool area also has an in-pool bar as well as Oceanus poolside café, yet another multi-cuisine dining spot.


Interestingly, we observed that the a la carte and buffet meals have several vegetarian, and especially Jain, options. Anuj revealed this was to accommodate the heavy traffic of Gujarati, Marwari and Jain guests who regularly visit the resort and are choosy in their dietary choices. BETTER guEST FACILITIES EXPECTEDWhile we had a pleasant stay at The Corinthians Resort and Club, we also realised that visiting this property means tanking up on your patience quota. Though the check in time is 2pm, it is unlikely you'll get a room till an hour after.

even if you punctiliously want to check out at 12 noon, it takes almost an hour to get your bill drawn up, despite informing the front desk at 10am that you would be checking out.

Strangely, water is not compli-mentary at The Corinthians Resort and Club, barring the two bottles placed by housekeeping daily. This is surprising since most resorts have started offering as many water bottles as a guest would wish to guzzle.

This brings to mind something a restaurateur once said that people don’t mind paying INR 2000 for a

filet mignon but balk at having to shell out INR 30 for a single water bottle.

These issues aside, a visit to The Corinthians Resort and Club can be part of your agenda, especial-ly in the balmy winter months when you do not have to worry about breaking out into sweat while trudging through the prop-erty. After all, how often do city-bred folks get the chance to walk through swatches of greenery with the entire family, where comfort and convenience is also at your fingertips?

- vinita Bhatia


An aerial view of The 1st Brewhouse

Oceanus poolside cafe


QuICK TAKE

When visitors visit the Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium in New Orleans, they get to see insects and bugs in a whole new light - served up as delicacies on a platter! You can pick from a wide menu comprising crickets and wax worms on toothpick skew-ers, which you can then dip in a fountain of melted chocolate, or opt for a toffee made with bug legs and mealworms and fudge infused with crickets and marshmallows.

The 23,000-square-foot Audubon Butterfly Garden and Insectarium

houses thousands of live bugs, including spiders, earthworms, cockroaches, beetles, wasps, bees, ants, termites, etc. Its kitchen, Bug Appetit, is known for its insect-in-fused fare, which most people try as a novelty, rather than as gour-met food.

“I tried the tarsal toffee and my friends all went 'ewwww!' I did not quite like it, but it was such a perfect Instagram moment,” said 20-year old Sarah Young, who visited the museum. Of course, not everyone at the museum has to en-

dure these critter-esque delicacies. The museum has a Tiny Termite Cafe with regular food, for those who can’t stomach bugs on a plate! Does this remind you of the choc-olate frogs from the harry Potter series? We are guessing these will soon feature on their menu too!

- Team CaLDROn

Imagine walking into a museum and being offered an array of bugs and insects as delicacies? No, this is not the plot of a horror movie, but something that happened at Audubon Insectarium in New

Orleans.

how Would You Like Your Bugs Served?

Image courtesy: The Audubon Institute, New Orleans


LISTIngS - nATIOnAL

mumBAI’S POPuLAR nIghTSPOT ESCOBAR BuRnT DOwn

Mumbai’s popular lounge bar escobar was burnt down when a fire broke out at VN Sphere Mall in Bandra. Firefighters believe the fire could have been caused by an electrical short circuit and they tried to bring the blaze under control for over two hours.

According to eyewitnesses, there was smoke coming from the fourth floor of VN Sphere Mall early on 12th October morning. escobar occupies the top-

most floor comprising an open area, covered by the lounge bar management, which has been in the midst of controversy for various reasons. The elevators would often not function, but luckily since the fire broke out during non-business hours, there were no casual-ties.

CAKE OF ThE mOnTh AT mLOungE

MLounge at Mosaic hotels, Noida brings you the sumptuous ‘Chocolate Ca-shew Nut & Almond Pie’ to be savoured for the whole month of October 2014. This delightful cake is drenched with the natural and rich flavor of al-mond with layers of delicious flavour of chocolate, cashew nut and covered with fresh whipped cream and fruit.

Costing INR 999 plus taxes per kg, this lip smacking light and moist cake will will make you crave for more. It is also available at all F&B outlets of Mosaic hotels, Noida between 10AM to 10PM.

TORRP-IT-uP REvAmPS ITS mEnu

Torrp-it-up has changed its menu to a premium one where a sandwich is more than delicious meat between bread. The new menu focuses on torpedo sandwiches, croissant sandwiches and a less bready cousin of theirs - wraps. The brand claims to spend most of its time sourcing the finest of ingredients from around the world and fusing these ingredients to give you food, which is wicked and modest but above all just superbly satisfying.

Torrp-it-up’s new menu serves a range of quality vegetarian and non-vegetarian options, offering value for money eats without com-promising on health and hygiene. It has a unique self service QSR concept, where customers are able to select their type of meal such as a wraps, torpedo sandwiches or croissants, some of which are based on low calorie recipes.

Speaking on the change in menu and format, Prateek Mittal, Founder, Torrp- It- up, says, “We at Torrp-It-up, have revamped our menu with a bank of premium flavours, making our sandwiches power-packed with a delightful tastiness. All the above changes have been done, keeping in mind, the most important factor – value and have designed special combos to accentuate fast ordering and minimum waiting time for the customers. These combos vary from 1 to 4 people. ”

FESTIvE SEASOn SPECIALS By CREmICA FOODS

This festive season Cremica gets fresh and easy to make recipes for you and your guests. Give the festivities a delicious twist with vegetable mayonnaise, which is perfect for burgers, salads, and appetizers. There are also some amaz-ing dips and cakes, in further exciting variants like Tandoori Sandwich Mayo, Mint Sandwich Mayo and Tangy Pickle Sandwich Mayo among other exciting flavours.

The Mexican salsa with spicy, hot flavours from Mexico makes for a delectable salsa that you can enjoy with packs of corn tortillas and bruschetta apart from spicy party dips. explore many more such amazing and versatile recipes with our range of salad dressings, spicy sauces, and even our chocolate syrup and our mixed fruit jam.


LISTIngS - nATIOnAL

‘FRuITS uP’ RISES uP TO nAREnDRA mODI'S vISIOn OF hEALThy DRInKS

In September 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi while unveiling the integrated food park in Karnataka asked major soft drink players to blend 5% fresh fruit juice in their aerated beverages. he said that thousands of farmers producing fruits would benefit from such value addition. he also directed state-run research centres to come out with a formula for blending aerated beverages like colas with fresh fruit juices.

Gujarat-based Manpasand Beverages Pvt Ltd (MBPL) used this opportunity to announce that they have already embraced this same mantra with ‘Fruits up’, a beverage that is completely fruit juice based. Dhirendra Singh, MD of MBPL said, "We are delighted with our PM's deep under-standing about the beverages industry and push for healthy drinks. At our Vadodara and Benaras factories, where we are producing ‘Fruits up’, our research team came up with a refreshing and healthy drink that can compete with international brands in the market.” Fruits up’ was initially launched in Gujarat and will be available elsewhere shortly.

ThE DAILy PRESEnTS OKTOBERFEST 2014

From 29th September till 11th October 2014, a celebration of beer and barmaids will en-gulf The Daily in Mumbai. The 12 day Oktoberfest at The Daily will see a special Bavarian food menu, with 17 different types of beer including from Germany (Warsteiner), Ireland (Murphy’s), uK (Fullers Black Cab Stout), Amsterdam (Amstel Light), with special deals on selected beers.Deals like ‘Buy 1 Get The Second One at 50% Off ’, ‘Buy 2 Get The Third at 50% Off ’, and ‘Buy 2, Get One Free’, are also being offered on select beers. Additionally, there will be cocktail buckets to get the non-beer drinkers into the carnival vibe. On the food menu, there are exotic Bavarian dishes like Potato ‘n’ Beer soup, German pretzels with sauerkraut, Beef Bratwurst, a special Oktoberfest pizza, and lots more.

OKTOBERFEST AT BARLEyZ

The traditional Oktoberfest beer festival from Germany will be a month long affair from 3rd October to 30th October at Barleyz in Bangalore. For INR 1300 plus, enjoy free flowing beer and buffet food accompanied by live musical performances, whilst bartenders and hostesses will dress up in traditional German outfits.

Pick from an elaborate menu that includes herb Crusted Grilled Fish, Sausage and Mash, Chicken Steak with Couscous, Grilled Polenta Cakes. head to Barleyz to enjoy extended celebrations of Oktoberfest and experience the taste of fresh beer along with scrumptious food, during lunch and dinner.

ThE gREAT InDIAn OKTOBERFEST AT QuOTE BAR AnD LOungE

New Delhi-based Quote Bar and Lounge is bringing OktoberFest to the heart of the capital city. Between 26th September to 15th October, enjoy a special assortment of juicy hotdogs, creamy mashed potatoes, and a wide selection of beer at a special prices. Between 12 noon till 12.30 am celebrate Oktoberfest and don’t forget to try their signature BBQ Baby Pork Ribs.

LISTIngS FOR OKTOBERFEST 2014


LISTIngS - InTERnATIOnAL

CIELO SKy LOungE REOPEnS AT DuBAI CREEK yAChT CLuB

The ultra-chic Cielo Sky Lounge at the Dubai Creek Yacht Club is thrilled to announce its official opening party.Dubai’s fashionable open air bar Cielo Sky Lounge will re-open on 9th October 2014 with an innovative cocktail and tapas menu. Inter-national DJ Robin Schulz will headline the official launch party on his first visit to the uAe.Offering stunning views of Dubai’s skyline, Cielo Sky Lounge has alfresco seating and a chill-out lounge and bar area. The new Medi-

terranean inspired tapas menu is the perfect accompaniment to the interesting new range of cocktails.The party season at Cielo Sky Lounge will feature local and internationally recognised DJs and will see the launch of several new dinner and brunch concepts throughout the season. The ultra-chic blue and white decor, inspired by the Mediterranean island of Mykonos and Ibiza, offers the perfect backdrop to enjoy cocktails with sweeping views across the city.

STARwOOD hOTELS TO RELOCATE gLOBAL hQ TO InDIA In mARCh 2015

Starwood hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc will relocate its global headquarters from the united States to India in March 2015 for a month-long immersion. Starwood President & CeO, Frits van Paasschen and the compa-ny’s top executives will split their time between Mumbai and Delhi, conducting day-to-day business from this important global destination with immense potential for outbound travel. Following the company’s successful relocations to China in 2011 and Dubai in 2013, this third leadership move underscores Starwood’s unique approach to cultivating a global culture and fostering relationships in key growth markets.

hALLOwEEn AT CABAnA

have a chilling fun time this halloween at The Address Dubai Mall. Just step into Cabana, the go-to destination for the ultimate pre-party, in Dubai. On 31st October, indulge in an array of complimentary canapés and cocktails at Cabana between 7pm to 9pm.

however, you can indulge in this only if you take the trouble of dressing up at your devilish best. So get into the halloween spirit and make the most of the night.

FOuR SEASOnS’ ThE wESTCLIFF JOhAnnESBuRg ALL SET FOR DECEmBER OPEnIng

December 1, 2014 marks the opening of Four Seasons hotel, The Westcliff Johannesburg, the brand’s first property in Southern Africa. Formerly known as The Westcliff, the iconic hillside hotel closed its doors to the public in June 2013 for a complete $52 million reinvention.

Guests and visitors will enjoy five exciting new dining outlets, a nine treatment room destina-tion spa, deli, lap pool and 117 newly decorated contemporary African-inspired rooms and suites. Two new transparent panoramic elevators will take guests on a striking visual journey to the upper part of the property, where the two main restaurants, View and Flames, are perched high up on the Westcliff hillside offering spectacular views of the city below.

hILTOn wORLDwIDE OPEnS FIRST DOuBLETREE By hILTOn In QuEEnSLAnD

hilton Worldwide opened the 237-room Cairns hotel, formerly a holiday Inn, on the Coral Sea in the vibrant city of Cairns. The hotel also marks the fourth DoubleTree by hilton in Australia and the 400th hotel in the brand’s global portfolio. “Guests at DoubleTree by hilton Cairns can look forward to experiencing the brand’s signature service in the tropical surrounds of Far North Queensland,” said John Greenleaf, global head, DoubleTree by hilton.


InspirationsDelicious and inspiring desserts for you this festive season.


Mixed Berry and Walnut Trifle with Mint


Crisp, Layered and SweetBaklava


Soft and luscious Tiramisu


Nutty, Chocolate Cake and Fruit Pops


Delicious and Festive Pumpkin

Pie


Awww...

did it have to end?

Kiwi and Berry Trifle

caldron magazine, october 2014

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