When Asians Met Pesto

The real pesto is a classic Italian sauce made with pine-nuts, garlic, basil, parmigiano regiano and a little cream can be used to blend into a smooth mixture. So, I was having fun with pesto and decided to give it an Asian twist. I have used all the ingredients that are commonly found in Asian markets and grocery stores. It was a fun experiment, tastes surprisingly unique and delicious.

Asian Peanut Pesto – for 1 cup

Ingredients:

Peanuts, peeled ¼ cup

Garlic, peeled 4 cloves

Basil a handful (You can use sweet basil or Holy Basil [Tulsi leaves])

Processed Cheese, grated (preferably Parmesan cheese) ½ cup

Coconut Milk ½ cup

Method:

Add the peanuts, garlic, basil, cheese and coconut milk in a blender jar. Blend all the ingredients together. Make a smooth paste.

You can use peanut pesto with grilled or boiled potato/ Boil pasta to al dente, drain out the excess water and mix in the pesto/ Use it in soups or sandwiches.

Creamy Creamy Kukkad! Keep it Coming

Name: Pratap's The Dhaba

Location: Link Plaza, Oshiwara

Contact: 022 – 263222323

Date of Visit: 1^st October, 2011 [Dinner]

Yummm..mmy. Go to this Dhaba and try out their Chawla’s Special chicken. You will not want to stop eating and probably not need a finger bowl as well, if like me you end up licking your fingers clean. When I think about it, the taste of that creamy chicken gravy is still lingering in my imagination. I would love to try my hand at making it one day, but don’t worry I don’t think I will be able to unleash the mystery behind this Chawla’s special recipe. I think I will have to bribe the chef for that.

Ambience

I have just one word, strange. They have tried really hard to bring the Punjab ka Gaon and Dhaba feel in the chaos of Mumbai city. The owners’ attempt makes the place look strange in a lot of ways. They have these statue figures in a village like setting which makes it look different but not appealing. The seating is traditional, with woven cots and bolsters and lanterns to light up the outside seating area. The inside seating area is regular and a little cramped up.

Value For Money

In this side of the city, with good food, decent ambience, the food was very reasonable. This is a fairly inexpensive and a very affordable place. I noticed a lot of families and groups with little children, also seated around us.

Menu

The menu, just like the ambience, is strange. It is a wooden board shaped like a flag, it is meant to be user friendly, but its not. It is really difficult to handle this menu. The list of items is short and precise. The menu does not include similar looking items, with the same taste and curry but different names. It is very direct and simple.

Food

We ordered both Chef’s specials along with butter Naan. The Chawla’s special chicken in a creamy white sauce was awesome. The creamy, white gravy was full of flavour and had a distinct combination of spices that gave it a very unique and memorable flavour. Being creamy, it did not have the slightest tinge of sweetness in flavour. The other special on the list Kukkad Bawarchi Di Pasand, was not really so special. It was good but not great and certainly not comparable with the Chawla’s special curry.

 It was a masaledar brown gravy chicken but I can say it got overshadowed by the sheer perfection of the other chawla's special. The makhani dal was really creamy, and cream was all I could taste really, so yes, it tasted good but I think it was more the magic of the cream than the chef. I would prefer dal with a little less cream, so that I can get the flavour of spices in it and the texture of the dal. The accompaniments served along were very interesting, an onion punched in the centre sprinkled with some chaat masala and some pickled garlic and green chillies. The Phirni was nice, but there was no real fragrance or flavour in it to make it stand out in any way. 

Service

The restaurant was really busy and the servers did pay attention to our table. There were times when we struggled to get their attention but over all they were courteous and attentive. They did underestimate our appetite a little, he told us that six naans would be sufficient for five of us seated at the table. I think we ordered about ten naans in all, if not more. I guess we really loved their chicken curry.

That Thing About This place

The Chawla’s Special chicken, you must try it out.

Ambience: 7/10 Good

Value For Money: 8/10 Very Good

Menu: 7/10 Good

Food: 8.5/10 Very Good

Service: 8/10 Very Good

That Thing About this Place: 8/10 Very Good

Good Ambience + Very Good Value for Money+ Good Menu+ Very Good Food + Very Good Service+ Very Good That Thing About This place= Good

Rating: 8 on Ten

Can You See That Hole In My Pocket? Oh No, It Is Only Visible To The Chef Then.

Name: The Earth Plate, Sahara Star

Location: The Earth plate, Domestic Airport, Santacruz

Contact: 022 – 39895000

Date of Visit: 28^th September, 2011 [Dinner]

I don’t mind having a chicken sandwich which is only okay for a hundred odd bucks at a café around the corner but if you are going to charge me over six hundred bucks for a chicken sandwich at a fancy restaurant, then that sandwich better be terrific. ‘Only okay’ Sandwich is not good enough. I know you are thinking that the location of Sahara Star is just perfect, a decent place so close to the airport. The ambience compensates for the ordinary taste of the sandwich and the gorgonzola cheese pasta that I ordered, but food matters, after all that is what I am really paying for.  My wallet won’t let me forget about it which means my tongue should remember it too. I will go again to this place because it is decent place to meet someone visiting from out of town for a couple of hours and the ambience is alright.

Ambience

In comparison with other restaurants of its kind, the style is chic and contemporary. The setting of this place is not planned well. I believe that whoever placed the tables did not consider the spacing between the tables. To go over to my place on the sofa, I had to be careful not to fall into the lap of the man sitting on the next table. The tables were placed really close together and it was hard to have a private conversation with my father, who was visiting on that day. Most of the diners in the restaurant seemed like business folks. I was seated in a section opposite the non vegetarian buffet spread. This section was separate from the main seating area and comparatively more private. 

Value For Money

Most of the other food joints located close to the domestic airport are highly over priced. The coffee shop of Sahara Star is way better in terms of service, ambience and value for money. I have visited this restaurant on weekdays and weekends and it is always full. Other restaurants in this category have a more considerate staff, better tasting food and ambience. The only unique selling point of Sahara Star is its fantastic location and monopoly to a certain extent, being among the only good hotels in the vicinity of domestic airport.

Menu

The ala carte menu is not very extravagant. It has a short list of items. They tend to promote their buffet more. That is quite suitable, considering that most of the guests are business folks and might not always have the luxury to wait for an ala carte order to be prepared. The buffet had a range of items and cuisines to choose from. It looked good but not very extravagant. A few Indian dishes, some oriental and fewer continental main course dishes. The salads and appetiser selection had a wide variety to choose from.

Food

Disappointing, is the only way I can describe the food in Sahara Star. I have eaten sandwiches while working in some of the Mumbai five star hotels and they always have something really special about the way they prepare those sandwiches, there is that secret ingredient that gives a simple chicken sandwich the X factor. That X factor which makes that sandwich worth the money. The chicken sandwich in Namak was worse than in many of the city’s ordinary stand alone cafés.

Imagine potato pasta in a creamy blue cheese sauce, do you see the picture in your head? Doesn’t the description just seduce you? I was already imagining the robust taste of gorgonzola, creamy and flavourful like silk, rolling in my mouth with the soft potato pasta. Well, the pasta wasn’t soft, the sauce not silky and for the flavour, I would be able to tell had the Chef remembered to add salt in his preparation. I have tasted gorgonzola cheese innumerable times and believe me, that was not it. I appreciate subtle flavours, and I agree that cheesy dishes do not often need salt. But call the Chef and make him taste this, do you think this pasta has any flavour? I mean, this dish made me really angry. Do you take your customers for a fool to offer them this? Just because you have a fancy set up, you won’t care about what you serve, is that it? I really think that the chefs and staff of Sahara Star should taste their ‘subtle’ flavours and the meals that other hotels in the same category serve and see the difference for themselves.

Service

I don’t know whether the staff members of this place are complacent or just plain rude. I believe that the restaurant is too full, all the time, so, they don’t care what the customers think of their behaviour. It seems to me like they are doing us a favour by taking the order. They don’t even bare a smile on their face to greet the customer. I mean that the treatment of the staff could actually ruin your mood, so steer clear. They are always too full and therefore too busy to serve you. It is a struggle to get the attention of the staff in The Earth Plate. It is a simple rule with a restaurants service staff, if you don’t listen, you are no good.

That Thing About This Place

There is nothing about this place, practically speaking, in terms of food, ambience or service. If there is one thing why this coffee shop does well, is only because of their location. Clearly, the staff of Sahara Star thinks that they can afford to be mediocre.

Ambience: 6.5/10 Good

Value For Money: 7/10 Good

Menu: 7/10 Good

Food: 6/10 Good

Service: 6.5/10 Good

That Thing About this Place: 7/10 Good

Good Ambience + Good Value for Money+ Good Menu+ Good Food + Good Service+ That Thing About This place= Good

Rating: 6 on Ten

Dum- A-Dum Mast Biryani ; Have You Tried Matka Biryani?

Vegetarians or temporary vegetarians during Navratri, put your hands together for Dum-A Dum Biryani. Finally, a yummy biryani for the vegetarians, don’t be misled by the word, This Place serves the most awesome vegetarian food ever. I only tasted vegetarian food and actually ate up all of the Matka Biryani. Why?

My cousin brother, Manas and I, during Navratri, treat our yummy murgi (chicken) as the forbidden fruit that Adam wanted to taste. Manas and I are like the greedy twins we cannot resist any type of food and more so, non vegetarian food. The worst case scenario, tell us that NON Vegetarian Food is out of limits and we will pounce on every person tasting the slightest bit of Murgi. You cannot imagine how we count the nine days of Navratri as they pass by so we can stuff ourselves with murgi again. Gluttony I tell you!

The weekend before Navratri is like a big occasion, a non vegetarian eating fest, if I may say so, for and Manas. Even if we are not together we make sure to grab to that yummy tangdi or that oh-so-gorgeous chicken biryani. This weekend I went for a Biryani that I have mentioned to you earlier and have been anticipating it for weeks now. I couldn’t help it, the advertisement looked so delicious, I could dive right into it. Yes, I am talking about the Dum-A-Dum Biryani. This is a new place that has opened up a little ahead of Pune University Circle towards Baner.

We tried the Paneer Matar, the vegetarian biryani and chicken Dum Biryani on one occasion and Matka Biryani and Paneer Makhani on the other. One thing was common both times we picked up food from Dum-A-Dum their behaviour was very good and their food was fresh and delicious. What else do you want? Ambience? Well, it is a small place right now, but it is bright and pleasant but they don’t have much seating arrangement in the two outlets. One outlet is near Bhujpal Dairy, Sakal Nagar Gate 1 in Aundh and the other is on Baner Pashan Link Road, near Orange County, and yes I am greedy so I have tried both. The menu is precise with a short list of items but they prepare each one well.

My sister, Stuti is a non vegetarian yet she liked the vegetarian biryani more. Can you believe how good that vegetarian biryani must have been? Most biryani places specialise in Chicken and mutton Biryanis and ignore the vegetarian biryani. Even in Hyderabad, the Chicken biryani is awesome but the vegetarian aloo biryani is only okay in its comparison. Dum-A-Dum has the best Vegetarian Biryani you might try. The best part of the Biryani and the Paneer preparations is that the paneer is so soft that it literally melts in you mouth. That is what makes their vegetarian food so good, the freshness of the veggies and the smell of the spices.

Now, for the Chicken Biryani; Dum biryani was delicious with the sweet aroma of spices and you ought to try it out, yet, I was more excited about the concept of Matka Biryani. I have never had a Matka biryani in Pune city, have you? We got a take away and yet the Matka Biryani was even parcelled as it was, in a matka for us to take it home. I was really excited and my enthusiasm was totally worth it. The succulent chicken, the spiced rice with the mesmerising scent of the rice and the spices and yet, it was not a spicy biryani, it was very flavourful and yet the spice was subtle. You don’t need to run for a glass of water during your meal. The rice was nicely mixed with the masala and there was no need for an extra curry or anything. This dish was complete on its own. Now, it is very rude to compare it with Lucknow or Hyderabad Ki Biryani. These guys are experts in Pune city, I have tried Nile and everything, but this by far is the best bniryani available in Pune city, as on date. That thing about this place is the fresh ingredients, fresh and flavourful food.

Ambience: Not Applicable

Value for Money: 8.5/10 Very Good

Menu: 7/10 Good

Food: 8.5/10 Very Good

Service: 8.5/10 Very good

That Thing About This Place: 9/10 Excellent

Very Good Value For Money + Good Menu + Very Good Food + Very Good Service + Excellent That Thing About This Place = Very Good

Rating = 8 on Ten

How To Make Mayonnaise at Home and How to Correct Curdled Mayonnaise?

Mayonnaise


Ingredients

Egg (Yolk) 1 no.

Mustard Paste 1 teaspoon

Lemon, juice (You can use vinegar) 1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Pepper Powder to taste

Vegetable Oil 120ml or ½ cup

Method:

Make mayonnaise in a cool, dry place.

In a clean, dry wide bowl add in the egg yolk, mustard paste, lemon juice, salt, pepper and whisk them.

Begin add in the oil, one teaspoon at a time and whish thoroughly.

Add in the oil teaspoon by teaspoon and whisk constantly.

Do not add the oil all together, this will curdle the mixture.

If the mayonnaise curdles, you can correct it following any of these methods:

1. Take a new, clean and fresh bowl, make fresh mayonnaise and add in the curdled mayonnaise to it little by little, whisk it in to correct the mayonnaise.
2. If the mayonnaise has just begun to curdle, then you can add in some more lemon juice and whisk to correct it.

To prevent the mayo from curdling make sure that the vessel is clean and the temperature of the vessel or the surrounding area is not high.

How To Make Lump-Free White Sauce? A Smart Trick.

Let me tell you a little secret they told me in catering school. Don't you hate it when you get a lumpy white sauce? It completely ruins the dish. Find the trick to do it right.

White Sauce

Ingredients

Milk 10 parts or 150ml/ 2/3^rd cup

Bay Leaf 1 no.

Peppercorn 4

Cloves 2

Garlic 1 clove

Thyme (fresh) 1 sprig Optional

Butter 1 part or 15g/ 1 tablespoon

Refined Flour 1 part or 15g/ 1 tablespoon

Method:

Heat the milk in a pan with bay leaf, peppercorn, cloves, garlic and thyme.

Allow the milk to cook on medium heat for five minutes.

Let it stand on the side to cool. Then preferably chill the milk.

To make the white sauce

In a pan, melt butter.

Once the butter melts add in the flour and whisk thoroughly.

Allow the mixture to cook for two minutes on low heat until it looks fluffy and off-white.

Don’t let it brown.

Strain out the spices from the milk.

THE TRICK to a Lump-Free White Sauce:

This mixture and the milk should be extreme opposite temperature when you add it in.

If the mixture is hot, the milk should be chilled.

If the mixture has cooled off, the milk should be hot.

Then add in the milk little by little to the mixture, whisking thoroughly.

Keep the pan on medium heat, this gives you more time to whisk and avoid lumps as you add the milk little by little.

It is very unlikely to form lumps in the white sauce, if you follow the rules.

If you want to be double sure or you still have a few lumps. You strain the sauce and get the smooth texture.

For that extra sheen, add in a little butter in the white sauce for that X factor.

You can store white sauce in the refrigerator for three to four days.

Cooking Without Rules and Restrictions; Imagination Momos

This is a dish out of my whims. Isn’t it fun sometimes, to follow your imagination rather than cooking with rules and restrictions? I didn’t want to follow a particular cuisine, neither did I have a recipe in mind, but I was craving something yummy, something like may be pasta or momos, or shawarma. I was confused for an hour and all I knew was that I have some chicken leftover and a lot of tomatoes. Twisting and turning, playing between ingredients and dishes, I finally came up with these Imagination Momos. They do not follow the exact momo recipe, but I worked with what I had in mind and it turned out, well, spicy and yummy! I feel like a street vendor today, imagination wise, this is surely not fine dining stuff, but definitely something you will enjoy!

Ingredients

For the Stuffing

Chicken 1 large breast piece (You can use roasted chicken leftovers)

Cocktail Sausages, Pork 6

Black Pepper, freshly ground ½ teaspoon

Coriander Leaves a handful

Salt to taste

For the Dough

Refined Flour 1 cup

Egg 1

Salt a pinch

For the Sauce

Onion, peeled 1 small

Red Pepper, with the seeds removed 1 small

Garlic, peeled 6 cloves

Ginger, peeled 1 inch

Tomatoes 3, medium

Sesame Oil 1 tablespoon (You can use olive oil, vegetable oil in its place)

Method:

For the Stuffing

In a deep pan, fill in inch deep water. Add in the chicken breast and cook for five minutes on medium heat until the chicken is completely cooked. When you cut it in the thick part, it should be white inside, not pink. Remove the chicken and keep it aside.

Refill 1 cup water in the pan along with the leftover cooking liquor from the chicken. Add in the cocktail sausages and boil them for five to seven minutes. Save the cooking liquor, keep it aside.

In a grinder, add in the cooked chicken and the boiled pork sausages with black pepper, coriander leaves and some salt if necessary. Taste the cocktail sausages for salt, if they have some salt, do not add more salt to the mixture. You may cut chicken and the sausages into smaller pieces for easy grinding. Mince the mixture, the flavours should blend together. Let the mixture be coarse, for the meat texture to entertain your palate.

NOTE: Lime Oil is a fantastic addition to this mixture. On this occasion lime oil was unavailable to me, but you can add it in if you have it.

To Make the Dough

On a flat surface, take the refined flour and salt. Make a well in the centre and add one egg in it.

Mix in the egg with the dough with the help of your fingers. Bring the flour together and make a dough.

Knead the dough well. Cover it and keep it aside.

Do not prepare the dough before hand, the egg tends to dry out and makes the dough hard if rested out in the open.

To Make the Sauce

Make a cross incision at the base of the tomatoes, remove the eye and pop them in boiling water until there skins come out. Remove the skins, grind them into a fresh puree and keep them aside. OR USE CANNED PUREE, 200ml should be enough.

In a grinder, add in the peeled onion, the red pepper, garlic, ginger and a pinch of salt. Grind this mixture into a fine paste.

In a pan, heat oil and add in this mixture. Stir and cook on medium heat for three to four minutes. Add in the tomato puree and cook the mixture on medium heat for five to seven minutes, until it becomes a thick paste. Keep it aside.

To Make Imagination Momos

Divide the Dough into 24 equal pieces. Divide the stuffing into 24 equal portions.

Roll out each piece of the dough into a thin circle. It should be about 2 inches in diameter or half the size of your hand.

Place the stuffing in the centre of the dough. Fold the sides of the dough into the centre until all the sides are sealed together. Press it firmly together. Make twenty four pieces.

Heat the cooking liquor saved from the chicken and pork in a pan. Make batches and cook each batch in the simmering liquid for three to four minutes. Make sure there enough space in the pan for cooking each batch. The pieces tend to swell up and increase in size when cooked.

Remove the cooked pieces and keep them aside. Squeeze some lime juice on top of the imagination momos if you haven’t added lime oil in the stuffing.

These can be served alongside with the red sauce we made earlier or mixed up with the sauce and then served warm.

To Make a Soup with the Leftovers

Take some leftover stuffing and sauté it in a pan, add in some of the red sauce and stir. Now, add in one cup water along with the leftover cooking liquor. Mix a tablespoon of corn starch in two tablespoons of water and this in to the soup. Bring it to a boil and turn off the heat. Squeeze some lemon juice in it and add chopped coriander leaves on top. Serve hot.