Is this how a foodie sees India?

This is my 100th post on the blog. Hurray!

And what a better way to celebrate than by showing the food delight in every corner of India.

What's your favourite Indian meal?

Saturday Lunch - Dal Tadka, Potato & Capsicum with rice

This morning I woke up with no weekend plans. Of course there is the movie watching, reading, lazing and a bit of work if the mood is right. But the day needed some more excitement. 

So I decided to treat myself for a good lunch. And the menu was set - Dal Tadka, typical potato and capsicum ka sabzi just the way I like it and rice.

For Dal Tadka I checked online and used this recipe

For my favourite sabzi I checked with the ladies back home. Of course I also had to take some guidance on how to go about the pressure cooker operation, which was a first for me.

The Dal Tadka had some black elements floating in it - My guess is the onions were overcooked. So need to get them off earlier. Also I don't know why it couldn't get the nice yellow colour. Maybe needed more turmeric powder. 

I think a good attempt made and some new skills added to the bachelor cooking.

Dakshinayan - south indian in town

This review should have been online long back. And apologizes for no accompanying photos.

Dakshinayan is the south indian eatery at the Teen Batti junction of Walkeshwar. Simple interiors with a strip opened ceiling. The owner sure didn't do much to make this place fancy for the areas audience.

What did we eat?

Mini Masala idli. yummy. a good serving suffices 2 comfortably and is loaded with tomato and onion. Must try.

Apam - strictly ok, felt it had gone a bit sour. I think the wife makes them much better at home. Or else then there is the Konkan Cafe in Taj President which does it wonderful.

Mysore Masala Dosa - a bit oily but we really liked the Chutney they served it. Normal south indian coconut chutney only but NICE.

The place is small, I don't think more that 30-40 people would fit in. Tables are close to each other so don't expect to exchange sweet nothings or discuss family issues over meals. Yes, the all veg menu makes this a super choice for the marwaris and gujaratis of the area. So, I am sure it must be a mad house on weekends so weekday is your best choice but there will be waiting even then.

Dakshinayan
183, Teen Batti,
Walkeshwar Road,
Mumbai - 400 006.

Telephone: 23676701 / 23673926

Photos from the barbecue night

One more barbecue night with the family …

Putting in all the sweat to get that little fire all charged up and emit those amazing orange flame

The grill gets set.

Let’s have this with some green mint chutney, onion and a sprinkle of that lemon juice

Garma garam bhutte le lo …

Bites of Mahabaleshwar

A holiday is not complete if you are not eating more & something different than what you eat back home. A recent trip to Mahabaleshwar with friends was all about that - eat, eat some more and just eat.

Strawberry Den (in the market)
Ideally strawberry preparations are served good in any of the places in Mahabaleshwar, but we seemed to like this place in particular. He seemed to make his mixes with total focus and the right amount of ingredients. The milk-shake and strawberry+cream are a must haves. While at this place you must also try the french fries.

Hirkani Gardens
After strawberry if there is something you should not miss there it is the corn dishes. Have the corn pattice, corn roll and a meal will give you corn sabji and roti also. We tasted the corn dishes on previous evening at Hill View near the lakeside but seem to prefer this place for it's taste and quantity servings.
The place also offers you a chance to walk through their plantation and pick your own strawberries. But we missed it because we reached there after sunset.

When in Rome do as the Romans. So when if you are surrounded in a Maharashtrian hill station what better way to start your morning then to bite into some local breakfast dishes. We had the kande poha, upma, vada pav, misal pav and some tea to wash it down all. The lal watery chutney served with the misal is an atom bomb so eat at your own risk.

Hotel Panorama
Order whatever sabji you want to, but don't miss the parathas - huge, buttery & fluffy, they will leave you with a stomach full & satisfied having such a rich preparation.

Olive Garden at The Brightland Resort
A rip-off, a freakingly expensive place this lunch outing kept us wondering what we paid so much money for. At an approximate cost of Rs.900 per head (no alcohol included) we thought this place was not just worth the price tag. Thankfully the food was nice and that was the only comforting factor. Maybe it was just our experience, but would love to know what other's think about dining in here.

Can't wait to travel again and enjoy some more food delights.

Sunday Morning Breakfast - Jalebis

If there is something which can tempt me to rise early on a Sunday morning it has to be the idea of a breakfast feast. With the last weekend being one of a family reunion what better way to spend the Sunday morning then to have a breakfast out on the terrace.

What's on the plate?
Garama garam Jalebi, fafdiya (farsan) and some kachumbar with green chillies.

We got this stuff from Dave Farsan Mart, near Babulnath Temple. The idea is to be there very early so that you can get the fresh, hot and of course if you go there after 9am or so - there is very little chance that you may get anything at all.

Chatpat khana at Opera House

What: Chatpat road-side khana peena. Bhel-puri/sev-puri. Dosa wala. Sandwich wala. Gole wala and Khicha wala.

Where: Near Babubhai Jagjivandas Showroom (there is also a shut-down Dawood Shoes store) at Opera House. Opposite Marwari Vidyalaya.

What's a Khicha?
It's a papad like thing but made of rice and a little harder. It's used like a pizza base is used and is made tasty by adding tomato, onion, sev, cabbage and masala. Served hot this is a great evening snack.
 

And of course a good evening snack can't end without something sweet so don't miss out slurping out those golas.

Food of India - So much to eat

There is so much out there yet to be eaten and relished. Incredible India.

Samosa at Punjabi Karachi Wala

Eating out with the office team is always an adventure. About a month back I visited this dingy place called Punjabi Moti Halwai Karachi Wala at Fort in Mumbai.

Now a single look at this place is surely to put you off if you have not read or heard about this place. I went along only because my colleagues had tried and tested it.

What did we eat?
We called for Samosa and Channa Masala. The chutney is salty and watery like a syrup to drink with the dish.

       

Recommended Eating
Samosa, channa masala, chole bhature and lassi (malai maar ke).

Absolutely cost effective place this is popular for executives from area eating lunch or grabbing their evening snack with a BIG cup of tea to wash it down.

Idli for Breakfast

Interesting breakfast items have always been a challenge at home. I can't seem to eat anything heavy and go off to work. So I need something light & easy on the stomach - No deep fry and nothing spicy.

Nitika cooked up this colorful idli made of par-boiled rice and "moong dal" (split green gram). Add spring onion and carrots to it. The chutney is a non-spicy coconut and coriander mix.

This dish was a definite hit and it's being added to my regular items for breakfast.

Tastes of Delhi

A few weeks back we were in Delhi to attend a Punjabi wedding. Besides all the exotic wedding food we had the opportunity to step out and experience some of Delhi's eateries.

Chocolate Crunchie at The Pavilion, Maurya Sheraton
Delicious and sinfully chocolate loaded, this was a great treat at 1AM in one of Delhi's very upmarket and popular coffee shop. Powered with chocolate, cookies and vanilla & butterscotch ice-cream.

Power of Pranthas at Chandni Chowk
It was a Sunday morning adventure for all of us to visit this all so popular Chandni Chowk area of Delhi. Being a Sunday we were relieved of all the traffic hassles. After a few phone calls to local relatives and cousins and we decided to eat at The Power of Pranthas - Pt. Gaya Prasad Shiv Charan, a rather crowded outlet in the paranthewali galli. You could see the local rush feasting on the hot paranthas with achar, aloo ki sabji and a large glass of chaas or lassi.

We decided to ask for suggestions to start with, but were put off when he recommended the rabri paratha and decided to go safe by starting with tomato paratha, aloo and paneer and even tried the papad ka paratha.

Maybe it was all the crazy fun but I really didn't think the food was anything lip-smacking but surely something worth experiencing when you are in Delhi. The approach isn't very pleasant and might a be a bit difficult if you don't have somebody to guide you around; so get some instructions before you step off.

Nirula's at Connaught Place
Nirula's is a name which is close to every Delhiites heart. A place popular for it's pizzas I think this should be some competition to the Pizza Hut's and McDonald's around there. Impressively designed interiors with lots of red color this was a good place to have our first outing in Delhi.

It was past 12noon and so we decided to fill up our stomachs before we headed off for the farm-house Mehendi party. I treated myself to a Chicken burger which turned out to be interestingly filled with a gherkin. The popular pizza was nice too and we had a hearty meal.

 

While you are at it, don't forget to try the cold coffee, milk-shakes and ice-creams.

Kebab Korner: Freaking Expensive

A few days back we celebrated my sister's birthday at Kebab Korner in Hotel Intercontinental on Marine Drive. This is an old-time favourite restaurant of Mumbai city when Intercontinental was called Hotel Natraj.

The start itself was bad, we literally had to beg them for a table because it seems their most popular and busy day is Tuesday (Fair enough). We had a 9PM table but didn't make it till 9.10 and bang comes the phone call "Maam, would you be coming in as you have a reserved table". We thought to ourselves wow that's a very busy place they called to check on. Guess what? when we reached there not more than 4 tables were occupied and the place wore a dead look.

Anyways we got around to ordering when we realised the place was freaking expensive. Vegetarian starters were priced at an average of Rs.400 and non-veg was about Rs.500. We enjoyed the Murgh Afghani and realised that the vegetarian food was strictly OK and only the non-veg was worth it. The special KK paratha was a bit hard and not so buttery if you were to ask me. The papad comes FREE and in a very interesting rolled format.

Before I left I couldn't resist myself but to have a word with the manager and tell him about the high-handed attitude which was shown in spite of a rather low occupancy. He apologised and even offered his business card if I may need to ever make any bookings in the future.

However my final verdict: Not a place worth the money it charges. I would say this place is for corporate client entertainment only - and that too if you plan to eat the chicken/meat.

Image courtesy: Sebastian Zachariah

Barbecue Night

Sunday night we set-up a small barbecue on our terrace. Unfortunately the weather was not so comforting and we were sweating it out by the end of it. But we had some great food that night - Grilled paneer, mushroom, potatoes, onions, capsicums and roomali roti with dal makani.

Getting the grill to heat up ain't no easy task. It took me about 2 hours to really see that lovely reddish orange flame emerge out of the coal pieces. It's an art I am hoping I will be able to get a hang of it if I had some more of these sessions. But alas, the Mumbai weather isn't so supportive. But I am glad that by the end of it the taste was something we cherished very much. Also there was this lovely aroma of the food in the air which made it even more exciting to sit out there in the open and feast on the hot pieces off the grill.

Some pointers for those who would like to have a barbecue night at home:

1. Make sure you tell the coal seller you need it for home use so you can give you small brittle pieces.
2. Coal takes a lot of time to ignite, so give it ample time before you intend to start grilling stuff on it.
3. Coal needs a agent - I used kerosene but I believe you also get propane cans which can also be used. Make sure you don't use too much of this because otherwise the food can start smelling of it.
4. You are going to need a strong hand-held fan so give the coal necessary air for the sparks to rise.
5. Ensure that the marination is not a very thin gravy it should be thick enough so that it doesn't drip onto the coal.
6. The skews should be well oiled so that they come off smooth once roasted. Of the lot paneer is the most messy and potatoes the toughest.
7. Somebody should keep a watch and keep rotating the skews so that all sides are well cooked.
8. And .... don't expect to be a pro in your first few tries. This was my third attempt and I could manage to feed about 6 people in good time.

I would love to hear your experience or some expert tips, if you have organized a barbecue at your place. More photos from the evening at my flickr.