Food, Friends and Fabulousness!!

This is a very special post dedicated to my dear friend Rupesh. While we have always shared a mutual adoration of good food and have had many many edible adventures together while I lived in Mumbai. He was initially only a lover of the product and has now also grown to be a lover of the process. Every so often I get a text or a call from him telling me how he wowed his friends in various parts of the country with his culinary skills, and last month I got to try it first hand.

Our chef Rupesh offered us

1) Crispy golden prawns as an accompaniment to our favourite Old monk

2) A glorious, Dahi Maach with steamed rice

Im sharing here the recipe for the Dahi Maach in as much detail as I could get out of the master chef

What you need:

• 500gms of fish (use a relatively less bony one)
• 2 large onions
• A big piece of ginger
• Handful of green chillies
• Small stick of cinammon
• 200 or so ml of fresh curd
• Turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt to taste
• Mustard oil to fry the fish in
• Big bunch of fresh corriander finely chopped

How:

Coarsely chop the onions and grind the ginger and green chilli

Shallow fry the cleaned fish fillets in mustard oil, till they are semi cooked and the skin is slightly crispy 

Mix turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt to the curd and make a smooth lump free mixture

Toast the cinnamon in some of the mustard oil and cook off the onions and the ginger and green chillies

Add the curd mixture and the fish and simmer for a few minutes. Take off the heat and garnish with the beautiful, earthy coriander

Poured over warm, steamed rice, this was one of the simplest, but one of the most aromatic, delightful meals I have every eaten. We ate, we drank, we laughed..it was a celebration..of our love for food and our love of cooking. 

Chef Rupesh Kumar...you have arrived!!

Sneak peek at our Crispy Golden Prawns. Will post recipe soon if revealed by the Master Chef!!

Nankhatai- Cardamom Shortbread

Every time I go to Bangalore, I have to absolutely make a visit to the beautiful Blossom Book House and browse through their sky high racks and discover hidden treasures. On my recent visit there I picked up this  delightful book called My Bombay Kitchen by Niloufer Ichaporia King. It a wonderful book, written from the heart and you can feel the authors passion for food and culture.

I have loved Nankhatai since my days living in Mumbai and have always wanted to recreate them at home; so when I found the recipe in this book nothing could stop me from getting busy immediately. Its really really easy to make, eggless and I found all the ingredients right there in my cupboard.



What you need:

• 1/2 cup ghee (clarified butter)
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar
• 1 teaspoon yoghurt
• 2/3 cup all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup fine semolina
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds, pounded
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• slivered almonds to decorate.

How:

• Cream the ghee with the sugar and yoghurt till pale and fluffy. Takes about five minutes to do by hand and less than half of that with electrical assistance.
•  Add the flour, semolina, cardamom and baking soda and process till it resembles fine meal. It will not be a dough and nor is that desirable.
• Pre heat the oven to a very low 120 deg C
• Put a slivered almond in your palm and them press a heaping teaspoon until it forms a ball.Compress it slightly by squeezing it between your palms. You should ideally end up with a flattened round.
• Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.
• The key here is that it should cook through without browning at all. As soon as they come out of the oven they will still be soft. Gently set them out on a tray and allow to cool till hard enough to handle.
• These are lovely eaten straight away but best the next day when the cardamom flavour has permeated. It adds a delicate sweet aroma to these little white beauties.

Mumbai through my stomach!

I moved out of Mumbai a couple of months back and I have been wanting to write an ode to this wonderful city ever since. So the part of me that was happiest in Mumbai was my stomach..well to be honest, my tongue. My stomach was just an innocent bystander/victim most of the time.

Below is a list of the most fantastic things I have tasted in the city of dreams:

1) Seafood:  The freshest, yummiest fish and prawns I have ever tasted. True that I lived almost in a fish market, but fish anywhere in Mumbai is fabulous. My two favourite haunts to eat fish were Ratnagiri in Chembur and Mahesh Lunch home at Fort.

Photo from http://www.flavoursofmumbai.com/

 2) Vada Pav : This humble little snack packs a huge punch. The piping hot vada, the soft buttered pav, the garlic chutney, and the pungent green chilli that's thrown in with it. To me a vada pav is the gastronomical representation of the city. Fiery, fast and fabulous.

3)Mohammed Ali Road: Being a Hyderabadi, Ramzan has always been special for me, and I wanted to see how Mumbai celebrated the festival. It was literally a sensory overload...unimaginable parts of various animals being spiced, fried up and offered to you. It is definitely not for the faint hearted.  The desserts however are for everyone.. the best Phirnee and mava jalebis in the world. Make sure some one gets you these from there, even if you cant/dont want to go.

 

4)Fruit Cream: This just might be the most calorie ridden thing I have ever eaten but it is near the top on the list of the most delicious things I have ever eaten. It is sold in a tiny shop; Haji Ali Juice Centre, right outside Haji Ali. The freshest fruits; strawberries. litchies, mangoes, apples dunked in rich cream. Its a must do.

5) Britannia: Its not a restaurant, its a time machine. A wrinkly old man to take your order, raspberry soda, kheema pulao, dhansak and the famous berry pulao. Its unpretentious, simple and warm and friendly. Let them help you order. My favourite part is their slogan ' There is no love greater than the love of eating'

6) Candies:  The food is nothing much to write home about but there is a salad bar that I adore. At 100 bucks a serving, its good for your tongue, good for your wallet and good for your waistline. Candies is also a beautiful, green palce to chill out all day long. Its really a haven hidden in the bylanes of bustling, frantic Mumbai.