RECIPE - Tameta Per Eeda

TAMETA PER EEDA

No I am not a strict vegetarian , in fact I am a strict eggitarian, yes I love my eggs and I love them whichever way they can be cooked - boiled, bhurjee, florentine, omelet etc. 

But it was in circa 1998, when a Parsee nurse attending to my ailing father saw my affinity towards eggs and made me a popular Parsee dish called Tameta Per Eeda (lliterally translating into Eggs on Tomatoes!) . Now the Parsees love their eggs too, they can have them with just about with anything, Papeeta Per Eeda (Eggs on Potatoes), Bheeda per Eeda (Egg on Okra), Salli per Eeda (Eggs on fried potato strips), infact there is a joke that goes that they will even make Eeda Per Eeda (Eggs on Eggs)!!! 

 But my absolute favourite is the Tatmeta Per Eeda (Eggs on Tomatoes). Last made by my dear friend Nina Bhalla , a Paaki Bawi married to a burlusque Panju! 

I tried this at home today which made for a brilliant breakfast and very healthy as well. So here goes

3 Egg whites 

1 Whole Egg

2 Tomatoes Diced

1 Small Onion Diced

1/2 Cup Coriander chopped

1 Tsp Coriander Poweder

2 Tsp Olive Oil

Salt , Pepper & Chili Powder to taste

This is good for one or two people 

Heat oil in a small pan which is good for a two egg omelet. We want the dish to be nice and thick. Add to it the Coriander powder, Salt and Pepper till the juices are released in the oil. 

Add the chopped onions and fry till they are translucent but haven't started browning. 

Add the tomatoes and cook on a low flame for a few minutes till they turn limp and soggy. 

Add the chopped coriander and continue stirring till the tomatoes look soft. 

Pour the egg whites over the mixture and evenly spread it all over covering evenly with the whites. 

Break a whole egg in the middle of the setting frittata

Sprinkle some salt, pepper and chili powder and cover the pan till the yolk is completely cooked and is well done. 

Serve straight from the pan cutting it into large wedges.

Serve with some Brun paav - a hard bread roll popularly found in the Paree/Irani bakeries and you are set to start your day!

ENJOY DICKRA!

The Murder Of Gujarati Food

AGASHIYE 

(HOUSE OF MG , AHMEDABAD)

First Impressions

As you walk into the House of MG, you are immediately transferred to the days when Ahmedabad was a flourishing textile city, with mill-owners or better known as ‘seths’ with their buggies, servants and large havelis. The look as been kept intact with corridors lined with memorabilia and sepia toned pictures of an era gone by. Agashiye or At The Terrace in Gujarati , as its name suggests is located on the terrace of the haveli, which used to be one of the rooms of the erstwhile sethias of the house. Waiters dressed in the traditional gujrati kurta-pajama greet you warmly. You feel like one of the sethias in all their pomp and glory! Gurgling fountains greet you at the entrance and there are silent ponds with floating lotuses here and there, pictures, statues and paintings give this a warm, homely and posh feel.

Service

Service is almost impeccable. As you are warmly led to the table and explained about the menu, you are greeted with a rose as a gesture of welcome and you get hot water in a basin to wash your hands before you start the meal. Although the waiters weren't very good with english, they spoke traditional amdavadi Gujarati, but the over all warmth, the persuasion to eat more made you feel at home, as if being served by your own servant and maharaj!

The Food

This is where trouble started. Half of us wanted to eat the Thaali  and the rest of us opted for a-la carte. Both were pretty much disastrous and almost mundane. Now let me warn you, our own home standards of Gujarati food are very high since we are all caterers of some sort or the other, so we had already lowered our thresh holds. But the food didn't even live halfway to our expectations. 

The thaali was extravagant no doubt, starting with mini batatawadas with tamrind chutney, just about ok. The thick basundi was boring when so much excitement can surround it. The subzis  of masala parval, bataka, gatta-nu-shaak were just borderline where the gatta-nu-shaak  saved the day for the rest of the thaali. The daals were insipid and sweet. Two types of Rotis were served, methi roti - too thick, almost a bhaakri type dry feel and taste and the rotlis too thick and tough- now this is totally intolerable in a Gujarati meal, where the rotlis or phulkaas are as soft as a baby’s cheek. The second farsaan - Handvo was boring, dry and tasteless. Thankfully we did’nt bother eating the malpuas - saving of calories in a otherwise bas meal. Basically the food was over-all sweet thereby furthering the cliche that all Gujarati food is sweet (which is not so). 

The a-la carte was even worse. My sister in law ordered Utthapa (God alone knows why!) but they were aweful, tasteless and rubbery. We experimented with the bhakari pizza , (a melee of Gujarati Bhaakri with the Italian Pizza topping!) available on every nook and corner of Ahmedabad and generally super-delicious, but two bites were enough to leave the rest of the dish alone - inedible! I ordered a mini meal of methi thepla, dahi raita & sev-puri!!!  What a combination but nevertheless, the theplas never arrived, the raita was way too sweet but nicely chilled and a warm welcome to the Ahmedabad heat but the sev-puri was terrible, puris too hard, chutneys too sweet, now one generally cant go wrong with the basic sev-puri but alas Agashiye had! Lastly even the mukhwaas which no Guajrati meal is complete without, was half eaten, sticky and congealed in their respective bottles, refusing to come out. Phew!

Value For Money

At Rs. 600 a thaali in price sensitive Ahmedabad, this was a total waste, so what if you are being served in Silverware, its not like you get to take that home! Even the average mini meal was about Rs. 175 was just not worth it. The meal for 6 people came to Rs. 2300 which was a total rip-off!

The Verdict

A typical case of ‘looks can be deceptive” and so can reviews by khaadi clad goras writing for the Lonely Planet. Even they dont deserve such mundane and average food at sky high prices. The service, look and feel along with the beautiful atmosphere can bowl you over, but the high comes down like a deflated balloon with the food for sure. Agashiye does not deserve the trek to come to the old city. 

I am sure the spirit of the grandmoms of the House of Mangaldas must be weeping seeing their recipes murdered so!

Sipping Cha with Yah!

A RESTAURANT REVIEW

YAUTCHA 

(Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai)

First Impressions

As you approach the rather upscale and very fancy Yatucha at Bandra Kurla complex, the array of cars parked right outside are enough to give you a complex, but this is Mumbai, where cars dont matter nor does where you stay or what designer clothes you wear-its what YOU are all about. And I know I am all about food, good vegetarian food. A gang of very courteous girls welcome you to this fine dine,east asian, dining experience. Once inside you could be anywhere in the world, New York’s Meat Packing District,London’s Soho or Singapore’s Orchid Road- very international look and feel. First impressions - very chic, very sleek and very modern. But whats that noise, the chattering of a million people and the constant clanging of the stir fry woks, a thoushand clanging pots and pans were deafening. Suddenly fine dining turned into local irani joint. Lighting was smooth and just enough. Seating was smart, basic and comfortable. I guess the attention was on food rather than the decor. But it were the high windows with lovely views of the trendy Bandra Kurla Complex which gave it the very international look.

Service

Very serious, courteous and extremely knowledgable staff helped us select our appetizers. Since we were celebrating, their in-house sommelier (yes a dedicated wine sommelier!) helped us through the wine selection, but considering we wanted Prosecco there was only one choice ! Service was prompt , quick and very smart, was surprised, as was expecting snobbish staff with a high-end attitude a-la Hakkasan. A bit of warmth, some smiles and a bit of chatting and inquiry would have helped patrons feel more relaxed and comfortable. Never once did the maiter d’ or the table waiters bother to find out about our experience so far. 

The Food

Veg Crystal Dumplings

Asaparagus Cheung Fun

Everything negative was about to be washed out with what was about to come next. Finally the restauranteurs (especially asian) have understood the importance of the vegetarian clientele and Gujrati high spenders and have an exclusive vegetarian menu. Whoopie! So no more getting reiterating the waiter that there should be no oyster sauce or fish in the food. What a relief. From a large selection of dim-sums we chose the Shitake Mushroom, the Vegetable Crystal, Asparagus Cheung Fun and Pan Fried Turnip Cake.  They need more selection on their wine list for sure. The dim sums were little pieces of heavenly clouds. The moment they touch the tongue the skin almost as if disappears filling the mouth with a fantastic array of flavors. Mushrooms mingling with delicate hints of ginger, asian vegetables minced with garlic , asparagus with french beans were an absolute delight. The very highly recommended Edamame Dim Sum was a bit of a let down for us. Avoidable for sure. But the delicious turnip cake topped with heaps of fried garlic which was the highlight of course one. Yes we were happy, very happy so far. The mains were a flat malaysian noodle, fried eggplant, french beans in a thick garlic sauce, mobo tofu and fried rice. The noodles were once again the best I have ever tasted in Mumbai, really flat pieces but soft as a babys bottom, would melt before you got to chew them. Fantastic. 

The eggplant  a bit of a bummer. But the french beans were outstanding, what did they do to them!! Crunchy, spicy, sweet , so many rich flavours playing with the palette. I couldn't get enough. Portions looked small, but yet there were leftovers, so for 4 eaters, single portions are just fine if you have had your share of appetizers, that is. The desserts - OH MY GOD, I could write a 1000 words on the desserts, ensuring what was eggless, we settled for Sorbet and the Hazlenut Ganache with Honeycomb Ice Cream. The Sorbet - Raspberry, Tropical Fruit & Pina Colada were superb. Especially Pina Colada - I could have had a tub filled of that stuff! Just perfectly soft, sweet and beautifully flavored. The Hazelnut Ganache was the lightest, fluffiest and most perfect mousse I have sunk my teeth into! Just superb. I was speechless. Perfectly combined with the honey-comb ice cream. There was no better way to end a perfect meal. 

Malaysian Flat Noodles

Mogo Tofu

The Verdict

Sorbet

Yatucha, looks very unapproachable, very up market but in fact its a warm, friendly and yet very up scale restaurant with a fabulous array of vegetarian selection, superb desserts and good service. Just that the noise was too much, especially from the open kitchen. I knew a couple sitting right behind me celebrating their 15 years of being married, who left post appetizers as the noise was way too much. So definitely not for a romantic cozy dinner. But great to entertain international guests, your family (not kids!) and to dine with friends. Beware the bill can set you back by as much as your drivers salary but what the heck once in a while its worth it.

Yatucha is hip , happening and very modern asian food. Hope it stays that way. 

Survival of the vegetarian in the holy land!

 A holiday was due, long over due. The stress and mundanity of Mumbais madness was getting on to both me and Sheetal.  Even weekend breaks and getaways weren't not doing much to the harrowed soul and the harried mind! Sheetal surprised me with a well-planned getaway to..... the middle of nowhere, only miles of arid deserts , ancient ruins , the Dead Sea and home to one of the most striking wonders of the world  Petra. The destination was Jordan! A small islamic country surrounded by Saudi Arabia on one side, Syria on the north, Israel on the North West and Egypt on the South West, nestled in between a bustling, traditional and yet modern Hashemite Kingdom Of Jordan. 

The biggest worry we both had was - FOOD. How would two vegetarians survive ten days in a largely meat eating country? Bags were packed and one specially for food - yes we took our rations of khakhras, theplas,  chakris, soya snacks and ready to eat Paneer Makhani, Black Daal et al. Sheetal also carried a small box of ‘ methia no masalo’ thats how well prepared we were. 

But Jordan surprised us all the way , with its people , with its places and more so with the culinary indulgence. Now if I rant too much about what we did and what we saw it would be more of a travel blog rather than my epicurean experience. So will stick strictly with the food!

My first experience of middle eastern cuisine was at the Kuwait Airport and I decided to eat something local. There were plenty of international chains serving factory prepared food. But I wanted local. So my choice was Fatayer. This is very much like our naan only layered with zaatar and drenched in olive oil and baked in a clay oven to near perfection with oodles of goat cheese or jibneh. With the first bite, as streams of melted cheese ooze out mingling with the tasteful Zaatar and rich olive oil, I knew I was in Allah’s heaven! Delicious. I was sure I wouldnt go hungry for the next few days. 

Right I was! Our first meal in Amman was at a trendy open air terrace cafe - Book@cafe on the hip-n-happening al Rainbow street. Filled with ultra modern Jordanians, kissing in the air, smoking on hookahs and shying away from Alcohol, but hip to the core. Our first meal was truly worth remembering - A bowl of Fateh Hummus, was simply a gastronomical pleasure. More like a pie, made of the creamiest hummus, chunks of bread, chick peas and topped with crispy filo pastry and then baked. As you spoon into this delicious middle eastern pie, you now understand why wars were fought over who invented the Hummus!!! The other must mention is the Spanakopita, now Sheetal is a big Spinach fan a-la popeye, but this pie was delicious, a large dough-pie stuffed with soft spinach, feta cheese and olive oil and baked till golden. What a blessing for us vegetarians! 

Now as I talk about food of this region, you will hear loads of words like Zaatar, Labneh, Fatayeh and the regular Mezzes - Hummus, Moutabel, Muhaamarra which need no introduction. But let me write a bit about the odd ones! 

A Mezze Platter

Zaatar - Is a mixture of herbs very popular in the middle east, a very strong base of toasted sesame which is found in almost all middle eastern cuisines in some for or the other , along with thyme, fresh oregano, Basil etc. Sprinkle this on almost anything and see how it enhances the flavour and the experience. 

Labneh - Is basically thick curd, hung for more than 24 hours till it gets an almost cream like consistency , mixed with either garlic, or a sprinkle of Zaatar, Sumac. Eaten just about anytime of the day!

Fatayeh - Is a baked pie or naan with various fillings like spinach and cheese, just cheese or meat. 

Tahini - A sauce used in almost everything middle eastern - made with toasted sesame seeds and olive oil. 

The breakfast was also a vegetarians delight. I am not going to discuss the eggs and croissants but dwell on the traditional breakfast. The main course is  Foul,  a traditionaly egyptian dish, which is basically a fava bean stew, thickly cooked in a tomato gravy and onions, top it with loads of virgin oil, tahini, hummus and zaatar. Sumac is another delicious zaatar like herb made with dried pomegranates and spices. Then there is pile of arabic bread or pita, to be dipped in labneh, or olive oil and zataar or combinations of all three! This was just getting better and better. No middle eastern meal is complete without hummus! And I know my stomach was well taken care of till dinner. At some places we also got brilliant moutabel for breakfast. Moutabel is a cold mezze or a cold starter to be eaten as a dip with pita. Made with roasted eggplants ( similar to  baingan ka bharta) but cooked in olive oil with loads of fresh crunchy parsley, tahini & lemon juice. 

Morrocan Mint & Camomille Teas at Sufra

Tea and Coffee play an important role in the Jordanian meal. Cafes serving Chai or Kaffe are lined up everywhere. Morrocan Mint Tea is very popular, so is the strong Arabic Coffee. The Arabic Coffee is a strong local blend of coffee, powered along with Cardamom and Clove, and added to steam hot water with sugar or sukkar ,  the brew will keep you up for hours together. The strong aromas of coffee mingling with a tinge of Cardamom andClove will keep you asking for seconds, but beware this is one helluva strong coffee. Another very popular drink is Lemonade, fresh medditarranen lemons, squeezed with soda and lots of mint leaves served with crushed ice is perfect to beat the scorching hot sun! Local and imported beers are available plentiful and the Jordanian society is modern enough to allow alcohol in public places!

Eggplant with Bulgarian Cheese & Avocado

An evening at Fakhr El Din and Sufras both in Amman were worth it. Fakhr El Din in an Arabic Restaurant, expensive and posh. Where you are served a huge tray of raw salad which is to be eaten raw with lemon, along with a thick garlic paste. The strong garlic paste was just superb without leaving any smell or aftertaste. Another surprising dish was the Eggplant with Bulgarian cheese, thick slices of roasted eggplant and bulgarian cheese and slices of avacado all piled up and drenched in a thick pomegranate molasses. Sufras - a beautiful open air restaurant, with a terrace and stunning views of Amman. Dinner is served in a traditional arabic courtyard with water fountains and gently swaying palm trees. A daal  like soup called Adas was good to whet the appetite to a fantastic meal to come. Bowls of cold and hot mezze like Musabaha - a version of hummus,  Muttabel (the best in all of Jordan) , Batata Harra - very much like our dry potato subzi , Falafel - needs no introduction to the Indian foodie! , Fatayer Jibney , although most were starters but with the arabic bread to break, this was one satisfying meal. 

Pistachio Ice Cream with Sugar Cotton Candy

But what stole the show was the local pistachio ice cream with  halva ,  a creamy crunchy pistachio ice cream served with stringy candied sugar almost like cotton candy. As you spooned into the ice-cream and halva, strong pistachio flavor paired beautifully with the soft cotton candy which just simply melted in the mouth. Sure this is what heaven tastes like! 

All Time Favourite - The Baklava!

And of course no meal is complete with the famous baklava, available plentiful in all restaurants & roadside bakeries, just layers of pure sweet pleasure!

Fatayer from South Jordan

Every restaurant, every dish had its own charm and and its own local twist. The  Fatayer in Aqaba was much different almost like a roomali roti with cheese and spinach, topped with zaatar baked till crisp. A great snack anytime of the day or night! Varities of hummus was seen all over, some with meat, some with mushrooms, some with whole garbanzo beans. Do try them all!

Sweet shops and bakeries are seen everywhere. Jordanians love their bread and you get all sorts of arabic breads, pita, shraak which is very much like a large indian roti cooked on charcoals on an upside down tava. You will see locals piling up on bread at breakfast as much as at dinner, as if it were running out of the stuff. Jordanians do love their breads. 

Never once remaining hungry or missing home food and yes most of the Indian stuff was left behind at our last stop! Now I am dying to try out the fabulous delicacies that I saw, ate and relished in this beautiful country of Jordan, so await the photos on my facebook blog, for those who dont know of it : https://www.facebook.com/groups/foodconceptsmumbai/

Keep eating, dream and living food! 
Ciao till the next one!

GROWING UP WITH FOOD!

Food was always an integral part of everyones growing up years. As you grow your tastes change, your likes changes and what you liked sometime ago, is not even remembered now. But at times re-visiting the delicacies of the days gone by is a lot of fun. 

I remember when I was young, one of the most important meals for me was Maggi Noodles. You come back home from school hungry as hell and a nice hot bowl of Maggi Noodles are waiting for you, the aroma of the ‘two minute’ masala spreading its long tentacles and enticing you to devour that entire bowl. Maggi was and is an all time favourite for kids growing up. Maggi by itself, with tomato ketchup or boiled vegetables, always a very welcome meal any time of the day. In-fact in the later years, when I was up late night cramming for hindi exams or struggling with complicated Math problems, it was Maggi that satiated the midnight growls. Every home had its own style and expertise of making Maggi. Ours was with lots of vegetables and cheese. 

Another delicious treat to remember was the Punjabi Samosa at Heera Mishthan in my school, ask any of the old timers from G D Somani school and they will sear by it. Costing about Rs.2.50 each, they were a treat to gobble up in the 15 minute short break, slobbered with a thin watery pudina chutney and served hot, as we bit into them, their delicious flavours of the garam masala was enough to make you forget the screams from the Geography teacher for not being able to point out where the Tropic of Cancer lay. Heera today has given way to a fancy bank, bye-bye samosas, sure the recent batches of G D Somani School will never know what they were like.

As I moved out of school and entered college, the stalls outside H.R. College were a favourite hangout. Especially the Dosas there. Five of us would order one butter sada dosa with an extra dash of mirchi powder and a sprinkling of onions. They were then re-ordered five times over! Next to him was the sandwich stall which made the best toasties ever. Brushed on both sides with butter, the crisp brown toasty oozed out streams of butter and cheese as you took the first bite, without worrying about burning or scraping your palette or caring about whether you need to credit what comes in or what goes out! The growing hormones needed food at that time. Thereafter just behind H.R. College and opposite Industry House, sat the very very popular Vada-Pav walla, he ran a flourishing business of selling piping hot crunchy juicy wadas, kanda bhajees and all sorts of bhajiyas to be washed down with ice-cold lemon juice. Those were the carefree college days, not a worry in the world, needed just enough money to shell out for these deliciously cheap road side delicacies. Then packing up in cars to hang-out at scandal point in the evenings, to ogle at the Napean-sea Road babes and eating yummy frankies from Rajesh’s stall. He still exists ever so popular! Not too far away and very close to Priyadarshini Park which was all but a wasteland those days was “Papas”, a very popular hang out to go on cheap dates with even cheaper babes, a favourite was a mini-meal of Roomali Rotis with succulent cubes of paneer in a creamy makhani sauce. The only thing that could divert my attention from starring at her assets!

Nights would be cheap Manchow Soups or greasy American Chopsuey at ‘New Hungry Eyes” mobile chinese vans parked at the end of Nariman Point. Good meals for less that fifty bucks. Enough to treat your girlfriend and all her nerdy friends to earn brownie points. But a true Bombayitte can never forget the dandiya nights! Those late nights of frenzied dandiya-playing till 3.00 am much before the noise curfews were put in place. Cars spilling out with hormone-raging guys in kurtas and chicks in backless cholis ,lined up outside Bhavans Juice Center at chowpatty, watermelon juice, steaming hot idlis, buttery pav-bhajis and indian ishtyle  pizza were the order of the day to fuel hungry stomachs from a night of debaucherous dandiya-playing! Yes those were the carefree days, where having a babe by yourside at Papas was the ultimate high and getting laid was all that mattered!

As college gave way to work, Nariman Point was a hotbed of all sorts for street food and cafes. Every space on the footpath was taken up by roadside stalls. There used to be a chinese stall right outside Atlanta Building. His so-called chinese was finger-licking delicious, saucy tangy chop-suey topped with a huge heap of fried noodles mixed with a bowl of vegetable Manchurian was just enough to fill your stomach, not empty your pockets and yet have a doggy bag to give to the office accountant as a bribe to release your reimbursements faster.  Serious dating had just started , girlfriends understood that Santoor at Cuffe Parade was fancy as it could get. The Black daal and paneer makhni was the best all over Mumbai. It was difficult to find secluded and discreet places to meet up , make out and mojo at, but places such as Flora at Worli, Chinese Room at Peddar Road, Kobes at Chowpatty, were all dim lit and very popular to go to. As the romance flourished, the earnings increased the cheap places were replaced by the five star coffee shops, a favourite being the Trattoria at the President & the Shamiana at the Taj. Just perfect places to go to after a late night out drinking and partying. The Mushroom Trifolatti , Quattro Fromaggio Pizza at the Trattoria, drenched in olive oil and the free bread baskets gave the system enough carbohydrates to absorb all the excessive alcohol. The steaming hot cups of deliciously thick hot chocolates, the huge platter of veg biryani were a must have at The Shamiana any time of the day. These two were like second homes to us. Many an early mornings have seen us leave, dreary eyed out of Shamiana driving home as the milkmen started their early morning delivery rounds. 

And as you grew up, the street food stalls gave way to the fancier Moshes and Indigos, the Sada Dosas replaced by Crepes and ice cold lemon juice replaced with Lemon Tea. But if you grew up in Bombay, I am sure you too must have followed a similar gastronomical journey all starting from the basic Maggi Noddles and ending up at a Five star coffee shops. The faces changed, the places changed and the price tags only grew fatter, but what did not change was the love for food, getting off at the Flora Fountain signal to qucikly grab a delicious wada-pav or call for a vegetable chutney sandwich. My love for good food whether at a street side stall or a fancy Rs.1000-a-head reastuarant grows only stronger!

MONSOON MAGIC

Its the monsoon magic mesmerizing Mumbai. Dark clouds gathering, unexpected and sudden showers, the rattling of the windows , the whistling of the winds and the ruffling of the trees. The Monsoons have set in but not as much as we would have liked it. But, nevertheless monsoons brings with it its own fun, its own memories and monsoon related food!

Remember when it would start to rain, the sweet smell of wet earth? Missing school and staying in just because the roads have flooded? Running to hide under trees to get less wet then you already are? Playing football and getting all muddy and wet? But the rains, the winds and the wetness also arouse my appetite and hunger!

With the advent of the rains, my first thoughts are of hot bhajiyas or batter-dipped fritters, not to be mixed with the delicate japanese tempura! These are dipped in a thick layer of gram flour batter and deep fired in hot oil. The combinations could be various, from the regular like potatoes, onion , green peppers to methi, palak, baby corn , bhindi , cauliflower , and the very risky banana and mango. Yes we even batter fried bananas and mangos to make delicious bhajiyas. If you are lucky in late Monsoons you may hit upon juicy purple yam,skin and slice them, deep fry them (no batter required) and serve with loads of chaat masala and lemon, very very delicious. You could experiment with sliced sweet potatoes, brinjals and even jackfruit. Team them up with freshly made corriander chutney, tamrind chutney and ketchup and the monsoons just became more enjoyable. The crunch of the crispy onion pakora keeping up with the thunder , the bite of the chillie pakora to drive away the cold and the fulfilling aloo bhajiays re-assuring you that life cant get any better than this!

Another favorite monsoon snack is the bhutta  or corn on the cob, roasted over charcoals, rubbed with a large lemon teamed with salt, pepper and chilly powder. The last time I made a chilly butter by taking a dollop of butter mixing it with cayenne chilly powder and a bit of lemon juice and spread it over a freshly charcoal roasted corn. Amazing !!! the tingling spicy chilly balanced by the creaminess of the butter and the sweet roasted corn was just perfect to spend a rainy evening staring into the waves and lashes of rain. 

Monsoon dinners also included loads of soups especially coming home from work, drenched to the bone, shivering and cold. A hot bowl of soup after a warm shower always helped. I experiment with soups a lot, recently I tried the  Summer Veggies and Pesto soup. Made with Leeks and Zucchini , leek a fairly western vegetable, but just like the onion without its pungentness and Zucchini similar to kheera kakdi found more up north. Start by frying some leek, and zucchini in some two tbsps of olive oil, till the leek starts to turn translucent and the zucchini soft and tender. Take a bowl of vegetarian clear broth, no tomatoes please. Add to it white beans, use canned or boiled ones if you have the time, some vermicelli and salt, pepper to taste. At the first boil add at the leeks and zucchini and let the broth come to a gentle simmer. Once the broth is thick enough, take off the gas and add diced tomatoes and garnish with a big dash to pesto. Hmmmm, the freshness of the pesto will first hit your nose and as you devour the rest of the soup, in front of the TV and hear the thunder outside, you know you are safe and comfortable at home.

But nothing in the world is like a nice cup of steamy hot tea or chai , perfectly brewed with a bunch of fresh pudina or lemon grass, a generous dash of ginger to drive away the  shivers and lots of elaichi or cardamom. Monsoons and cups of tea go hand in hand and if you have a plate full of Bhajiyas or pakoras, then your evening couldn't get better however hard it may rain, how ever loud the clapping of the thunder and however startling  the lightening. As you curl up with a cup of spicy Indian Tea and garma-garm  pakoras,  you know you are in a safe , happy , cozy place. Nothing more mesmerizing than Mumbai Monsoons!










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A trip down Epicurean Alley

Food touches every sense possible. Its aromas to inhale, its visual appeal to please the eye, its multitude of tastes, its crunch to resonate the ears and the wonderful memories to titillate the senses. Food is complete. Food is life.

In every sense the very aroma or a vision of food can send you back in time to wonderful memories which you so cherish, locked away in one compartment of the cranium afraid to let it unleash least you put on a few calories just by thought. Bringing back with it a tingle to the tongue and growl in the stomach.

Just the other day as I was walking back home and I smelt charcoal being burnt in a pit. It was this aroma, that took me back to the winter days spent in Ahmedabad during Diwali and going to my Nana’s cloth-mill a day before Diwali for Chopda Poojan. Post the ceremony what awaited was a fantastic full-aon Gujarati spread but what was special was the ‘Matla Nu Undhiyu’ , cooked in an earthen pot in a pit with charcoals. 

‘Undhiyu’ is a Gujarati delicacy, mainly cooked in the winters, prepared with mostly winter vegetables and tubers. Undhiyu is cooked with a mixture of green beans like Fava Beans - Hyacinth Beans colloquially known as Vhalor Papdi along with the pods, Green Toor Beans or Pigeon Peas, grated cococnut with lots of corriander leaves, making the mixture very green and pleasing to the eyes. Add to this skinned Sweet Potatoes, Eggplant, Purple Yam and Muthiya and here we have the Undhiya ready. For the uneducated in Gujarati Cuisine,  Muthiyas  fried dumplings made of gram flour and methi  or fenugreek . People love the Muthiya  giving the dish a crunchy yet bitter aftertaste But its not as easy as it seems. Remember to cut the tubers in big cubes. They make the dish look larger than life!. All this seasoned with lots of garlic, green chillies, Dhaniya Powder and Jeera powder and of course loads of vegetable oil makes the  Undhiya  what it is. Put it all in an earthen pot, cover it with dough and cook it underground with charcoals in a pit. The charcoals, the pot and the mud will give it a strong, earthy smell and taste. 

Once nice and cooked,as you open the dough cover, the flavors and aromas will entice you to eat a spoonfull, but don't just yet. The best way to have  Matla Nu Undhiyu , the way my  Mami  would make it was - take a big spoonful, with your bare hands crush everything , add a splash of ‘Koth Ni Chutney’  or  Kothiyu , koth is a wild fruit which has a great sweet-n- sour taste, add to it a topping of sev , coriander chutney, tamarind chutney and its ready to be devoured!

Matla Nu Undhiyu  was the star of the menu to be eaten with  Pooris , this itself made for a fantastic meal but Gujarati meals are never so simple or scarce . You need more - and more there was. 

The buffet started of with a great Basundi  and piping hot Jalebis -  thin and juicy with the right amount of crunch, dripping with the sweetness of saffron, followed by the Undhiyu ( panner butter masala and its variants were unheard of in those days!). Now, no gujju meal is complete without a farsaan , a huge plate full of the softest white dhoklas steamed to perfection with a generous sprinkling of pepper and red chillies to be devoured with a dollop of green chutney - heaven! As if this wasn't enough, the meal would end with Dhakko Daal,  an Amdavadi speciality , toor daal cooked with loads of vegetables, peanuts and thinly sliced dates. If the undhiyu had’nt sent you to heaven, then a bowl of pipping hot Dhakko Daal  would surely do the trick. After this we would need to loosen the string of our pajamas, let out a few loud burps and wait for the Badam-Kesar-Pista (aka BKP) ice cream to be served in little silver bowls with flat-headed spoons, cant ever forget the cream sticking to the palette. Who paid attention to the pooja, we kids only waited for this gastronomic meal. 

Take me back to those days when naan , paneer makhani , methi malai mutter, Dum Aloo Kashmiri were taboo topics in a traditional Gujarati meal, where mithai meant Saffron rich Jalebis not Chocolate Tarts and BKP ice-cream was eaten by the bowl full instead of ramekins of Creme Brulee´. 

Give me a traditional Gujarati meal any day. And for those unfortunate ones who dont know what all the above is, call up a Gujarati friend or family and invite yourself to a lunch, you will be treated like a God and fed like one too! 

We Gujaratis love our food and love to feed.