Category Archives: FoodMantra Articles

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Avocado; A Fruit That Tastes like a Vegetable (Experience Note by Chef YB Mathur)

For us Indians, Avocado is a fairly new addition in our local markets as well as our kitchens. Although I have tried it in salads, guacamole and also in various mexican delicacies, its culinary versatility is yet to be explored.

What is an Avocado?

It is a fruit that tastes like a vegetable and looks like a pear. They can be round or pear shaped. They come in a range of colors from dark green to crimson to yellow or almost black. I have spotted medium green, pear shaped avocados in the Indian market. Avocado has a mild, rich and fatty flavor. It is grown in Mexico and used in various Mexican dishes.

How To Check if Avocado is Ripe?

Ripe Avocado is firm but if you can press gently, it is ripe.

Unlike most fruits, avocado only starts to ripen when they have been cut from the tree. Raw avocado is wrapped in paper, stored at room temperature for a few days to ripen.

How to Store?

Do not cut until just before use, avocado flesh blackens on the surface when exposed.

Place the avocado in an opaque container with a piece of cut up onion. Cover with lid and refrigerate. Avocado stay fresh for many days this way. You can also wrap it in cling film, refrigerate and protect it from air and light.

How To Use?

It is cut lengthwise, deseeded and the brown skin is removed to reveal the green flesh on the inside. The flesh can be scooped out with the help of a melon scooper.

To use Avocado in salad, cut it lengthwise, remove the seed and remove the brown skin. Cut it halves lengthwise again, peel the skin and slice the avocado.

Peeled and deseeded Avocado can also be pureed and used in pasta sauces, desserts or beverages.

Avocado, Health and Norurishment.

Avocado has the highest protein content of any fruit.

100g of Avocado contains 190kCal. Their fat can reduce cholesterol levels considerably. They are good for diabetic sufferers. They are high in fibre, that is 3.4g per 100gms. Avocado is a good source of Vitamin E, mono-saturated fats and potassium which helps to control pressure and maintain a regular heart-beat and a healthy nervous system.

Vitamin E and C present in Avocado are both anti-oxidants and therefore prevent free radical damage that leads to certain cancers.

Interesting Facts About Avocado.

Cutting and rubbing the flesh of a ripe avocado on sun-burnt skin helps in soothing it.

Being rich in vitamin C and vitamin E, both of them having antioxidant properties, avocados help in slowing down the aging process.

Avocados had a long-standing stigma as a sexual stimulant and were not purchased or consumed by people wanting to preserve a chaste image.

Mexico is the world’s top producer of avocados, with California coming in second.

Although the Spanish noted the existence of Avocado since 1519, it was dismissed as tasteless until it began to become popular in 20th century America.

Cats, dogs, cattle, goats, rabbits, birds, parrots, fish and particularly horses can be severely harmed or even killed if they consume the leaves, bark of the tree, or avocado pit.

There are currently around 80 different avocado varieties.

Folk wisdom believed that a Mayan princess ate the very first avocado, and it gave her magical powers.

Cooking With Avocado

Explore your possibilities with Avocado; you can peel, deseed and puree it and use it to make a pasta sauce, dessert or a milkshake.

One of the most popular Avocado recipes is Guacamole, which is served as a side with Quesadillas and tacos, it is also served as a dip with tortilla chips.

Avocado dressing compliments seafood. Avocado can also be used in salads or tacos with seafood.

In Indonesia it is also used in a milkshake and some even use avocado to make sushi.You can also try this easy Guacamole recipe to begin with.


Guacamole

Guacamole is made of avocado; it is eaten on the side with Mexican delicacies such as Quesadillas and it can also be eaten with tortilla chips as a dip.

For 150gms of Guacamole

Ingredients

Avocado 100gms (recipe uses 1 avocado)

Onion, chopped 25gms

Tomato, chopped 25gms

Green Chilli, chopped 10gms

Lemon Juice 15ml

Coriander Leaves, chopped 20gms

Salt to taste

Special Equipment Melon Scooper

Method:

Cut the Avocado into half, lengthwise. Remove the seed and the brown skin attached to the seed.

Use a melon scooper to scoop out the flesh of the avocado.

Coarsely grind the avocado.

In a bowl, add in chopped onion, chopped tomatoes, chopped green chilli and chopped coriander leaves along with the coarsely ground avocado and mix well.

Squeeze the lemon juice into the mixture and add in salt, mix well.

Serve cold with tortilla chips.

Tip: Do not cut or scoop out the avocado until right before you mix it. The avocado tends to get oxidized and the exposed inside begins to blacken.

Avocado are available in Godrej Nature’s Basket Stores www.naturesbasket.co.in

Also available in Mumbai localbanya.com/

Chef’s Experience Note:

Chef Y.B. Mathur is Sr. Executive Chef (retd.) with ITC WelcomGroup Hotels. I met him during the ITC Kitchen Executive interviews, 3 years ago. He is my guide and teacher, and I would love to share his note about Avocados with you.

“For years Avocado and prawn salad was the topmost seller in the restaurant that I ran as Chef In Abu Dhabi Meridien. Each day we were selling upwards of 42 portions during dinner (I ran a nightclub cum speciality dining room – the largest in the gulf at that point of time – it had 180 covers, 6 carving stations, 12 side-boards, and a waiting lounge. It had ten gueridon trollies, 6 for flambes and 4 for cheese and wine service. All salads on the menu had to be made at site as per customer’s choice of made-in-presence dressings and sauce variations).

We kept the basic salad mix of the Avocado and prawn salad ready for dispensation. The salad had to be tossed in front of the customers and dressing made according to their taste. The dressings were formally presented before being mixed in the salads.
I made the mistake of withdrawing it from the offer during a menu change. I was forced to give it as “off-the-menu” item right from the day I brought in the new menu till the day I came back from the Gulf. “
I think this note from Chef Mathur’s days in the Gulf is a testimony that the marriage of Avocado with seafood is made in heaven. I am definitely curious about this salad though. One of these days, I am sure to ask him the recipe. When I do get the recipe, I will definitely share it with you all.

Ref. Articles

Reader’s Digest (1996) Foods That Harm Foods That Heal, First Edition, Reader’s Digest Association

http://www.avocado.com/site/fun-facts/avo-info/did-you-know?cat=avo-info

http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/calories/calorie_counter/fruit.htm


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Pitter Patter of Raindrops on My Window; Soup Meals (@foodmantra)



M is a great time for .. Piping hot soup on chilly monsoon evening .. So comforting!

So let’s talk about so many that we can try out this ..

I’m a rajma fan soaked n boiled KidneyBeans+boiled,de-skinned tomatoes+RedBellPepper+stock+chilli paste+BayLeaf+pepper

Minestrone with FreshGardenVeggies+tomatoes+pasta+gremalta i.e. Cheese, basil, garlic n lemonzest for flavor is yummy

Chicken + Barley + vegetables + with a dash of beer + garnish with chopped cheese cubes

Dinner time Dhansak style Spicy Dal (Lentils)+cooked with mutton+tomatoes+veggies+whole spices

OrientalStyle boilPorkBones+ginger+springonion+soy+noodle+fishSauce+chilli+carrot+peppers+BeanSprouts+shredded chicken

Seafood Bisque Rice+shrimps+clams+shells,pureed n strained+whiteFish+tomato+fishstock+saffron+cream+eggyolk

roasted Pumpkin Puree + shrimps, shelled+ gnochhi or any fresh pasta+ skinned red bell peppers for garnish

Pumpkin soup tastes great with thyme and paprika for flavouring in my

Various forms of cooking often rob veggies of their vitamins n minerals, are nourishing & filling, retaining nutrients

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Factual Diary of Salt n Sex: A Meaty Combination (Tweets) @foodmantra

The Himalayan Pink Rock of Salt. A thing of beauty, art if you place it on the mantle and science if you use.
Rocks of Salt have been the source of wealth for Spanish families over centuries.
In many cultures, salt is associated with fertility.

– a fixation that is found irrational and subconsciously sexual. Ernst Jones, psychologist n a friend of Sigmund Freud. Interesting!


Obsession with , subconsciously sexual? A crazy Abyssinian custom presents a piece of rock salt to guests, who then licks it.

is often associated with fertility.Used in ReligousCeremonies n MagicalCharms across the world, which shows human tendency over local custom.


Ships carrying overrun by mice, made people believe for centuries that mice could reproduce without sex, simply by being in salt. funny!

Celibate Egyptian priests abstained from because it excited sexual desire. In some cultures the groom carried salt in his pocket to protect his fertility while in Germany, the bride’s shoe was sprinkled with salt.

It is believed, in Bihar,Nagin women ‘wives of Snake God’, sacred prostitutes periodically abstained from salt n sex, and went begging.Grin!

An 1157 Paris engraving titled Women Salting Their Husbands demonstrated how to make you man more virile. Ahhahah..
he last line of the poem reads, “With this salting front and back, at last strong natures they will not lack”.Haha..Bring for our men.


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Brings You Home. Revival Indian Thali, Lokhandwala

With frozen toes, curled up in my blanket, my hands arrested, leaning my head on that frosted window I gazed at the snow; it was a chilly winter, that year in Nottingham. Yet, when I closed my eyes and thought about home, I could breathe the smell of fresh rotis soaked in desi ghee, the sweetness and creamy texture of white butter rolling in my mouth, that piece of ‘gud’ at the end of the meal which just sticks on to your palate and plays with your senses for hours later. Even the thought filled me with warmth and brought a smile on my cold lips.

I would often get lost into my own world while writing long and boring assignments. Then again, don’t we all? My mouth still waters when I think about a large, well prepared thali with four different types of vegetables, curries, dal and kadhi served with delicious rotis soaked in ghee. Not to forget, the papads, achaars, chutneys and delicious sweets. In many ways my visit to Revival was a realization of that recurring dream I used to have in Nottingham. I mean who are we kidding, which one of us in todays time and age has the time to even think about preparing more than one sabzi and dal? We save the trouble of making kadhi and khandvi for special occasions.

Revival’s warm and welcoming hospitality showcases Indian culture at its best. There is no doubt that this is a great place to bring along your foreign collaborators or friends. There are LCD screens at each table that describe each dish on the day’s menu for the diner’s information.

It was a reasonably priced meal at approximately Rupees 280 per person on weekdays as on 6th July 2012 and Rs 335 on Sundays. With a well-lit and spacious dining area and traditionally dressed serving staff, the dining experience here is a delight.

Heavy Thalis in an intimidating size covered with fabric covers were laid on the tables. The service staff was warm and well spoken; I was happy to hear them speak to us in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati or Marvari rather than in English as they served each item with a smile. One of the biggest USPs of this meal was the royal treatment with chandan (Sandalwood) water that was brought to our table at the beginning and end of the meal to wash our hands.

We were welcomed with a warm Tulsi drink followed by a range of savoury items including Gujarati and Marvari Kadhi, Spicy Dal, Khandvi, dhokla and rasam, small sabudana patty filled with roasted peanut mixture, along with veg kurma, matki math (which I loved), batata bhaji and tori with matar for the vegetable curries and dry preparations. My favourites on the Thali were the soft and tender Khandvi, Spicy Dal, Matki Math and Veg Kurma.

These were accompanied by 3 types of bread; which included rotis with lots of ghee, the second was crispy, sweet bread and the third, Rotla. Rotla is a bhakri made of Nachni, it is slightly hard and chewy, yet small rotlas served with white butter (loni) and jaggery (gud) was like poetry in my mouth.

The breads were followed by a simple khichadi with lots of ghee and saffron pulav, which sounds better than it tasted. Some amazing chutneys, achaars, papad and murrabbas along with chhaas accompanied these items on the thali. I must mention the Aonla murrabba, I’m not sure whether this was made in house or not, but it was the most amazing aonla murrabba there ever was, great taste.

The food was freshly made with good quality ingredients and from what I learnt from the LCD screen, they were organic ingredients. In fact, apart from traditional Indian food and service Revival also seems to be involved in bringing back organic and ayurvedic food products to our city. I happened to glance at a list of ayurvedic and organic food items featured on the LCD screen, a nice idea to advertise, although I didn’t read much, I was busy enjoying my meal. Even with little katoris on that plate, with the number of items and warmth with which we were insistently served, I was already full by the time we got to the dessert. Revival serves limited dessert on weekdays and unlimited desserts on Sundays. I could just pick one from custard with cut up fruits, strawberry halwa and shrikhand. How can I say no to Shrikhand? I over-stuffed myself, but I don’t regret it. It was a great meal concluded with a meetha pan.

That thing about this place is that they are preserving and promoting Indian traditional meals and hospitality and bringing it forward by using contemporary techniques such as the use of that LCD screen at every table.

#FoodMantraRecommends

Revival’s Rotla with gud and loni (Jaggery & White Butter)

Revival’s Aonla Murrabba

Ambience: 7/ 10 Good

Value For Money: 8/ 10 Very Good (With That Amount of ghee + Unlimited Food)

Menu: 7/ 10 Good

Food: 7/10 Good

Service: 9/10 Excellent

That Thing About This Place: 9/10 Excellent

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

Rating= 8/ 10

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I Like It Rare. Indigo Café, Andheri

Name: Indigo Café

Location: Behind Svenska Hotel, Andheri West, Mumbai

Date of Visit: 4th July, 2012 (Dinner)

You know when you’re young, some instances, small or big, make such an impact on who you shape up to be. I don’t remember what magazine or who wrote those magical words, but smiling at me, on top of the page were the words,

‘The Herb Crusted Filet Mignon at Indigo is like orgasm in your mouth’.

I can divide my life into before and after I read those words, I was 12, obviously I didn’t exactly know the meaning of all the words. But I was a curious kid; I nagged my grandpa into telling me, that the dish was magical. So, I had imagined that whenever I get to eat a Filet Mignon at Indigo, there would be fireworks! It’s a pity that it took me nearly 12 years after, to try out the Filet Mignon at Indigo. But it was my calling and I made it.

So, last evening when my sisters and friend accompanied me to Indigo Cafe, Andheri West, there was definitely no question about what I was going to order. I went through the menu anyway, it’s a hobby, to imagine all the gorgeous items listed when I am hungry, and salivate like a dog. The menu was a combination of French, Italian and contemporary cuisine. It also included breakfast classics like scrambled eggs with roesti and waffles with syrup. There was a range of different sandwiches and burgers, including BBQ Pork, salmon to safer picks like fried chicken burger with a side of potatoes also made into the listing. Selection of pastas was on the menu, including pink pepper gnocchi in the specials that made up for an impressive variety to choose from.

Herb Crusted Filet Mignon, was unfortunately not listed on the menu, I realized that it had taken me 12 years and they must’ve revised the menu several times over. I went for their Filet Mignon with jus and a side of garlic potato wedges. My younger sister chose a salmon burger while the older one went for a corn crusted, vegetarian, potato burger and our friend chose a fried chicken burger with a side of mashed potatoes.

Finally, I took a breath to look around. Hard wood furniture, no- cushions (at least in the outer section where we were seated.) Very simple looking aesthetics with a spacious setting and yet, with the mood lighting, candles and bowl full of white spider lilies which made the place look casual yet romantic.

The staff was on their toes and courteous. But I must mention that the glass they served me water in, had an eggy smell. It could have been a small slip up, but no one appreciates a stinky glass. In an udipi or chaiwala it can be excused. In Indigo café, I ask for a complaint card.

If you find three girls laughing hysterically on the next table, you can identify one of them as me. It was so hard to stop making silly jokes when our food arrived, for the fear of throwing it out of our noses. I am almost certain that the service staff and other diners thought we were ‘under the influence’ of something.

The best tasting item, my younger sister’s salmon burger, great fish, great flavor. You can see that fresh dill and salad along with the spiced fish in the picture above.


The safest choice was clearly the fried chicken burger, which tasted decent, like any other fried chicken burger, nothing extraordinary.


The veggie burger below was more studded with corn than it was crusted, as described in the menu. Not a treat for a corn-hater as my older sister. I tried the veggie burger made with fresh, soft cheese with the sweetness of corn and I liked it.

Let’s get to the point now, the Filet Mignon was simple and there were no fireworks whatsoever. Either the gentleman in the magazine had questionable taste buds or in 12 years the Filet Mignon at Indigo, is no more the best of its kind. I believe there is some magic in simplicity, and yet the best chefs can make a simple dish with subtle flavours taste great. I can safely say, there wasn’t one of the best Chefs that created that Filet Mignon, it was bordering on Mediocre and below average.

Don’t get me wrong; my high expectation hasn’t blurred my judgement, I speak from experience. I have eaten many a rare steak, globally. In fact, the first time I ate rare pepper steak in Sauce Diane back in college (IHM Mumbai), when we were learning Flambe techniques and gueridon service, I had 7 of those and I can tell you those bad boys were 10 folds better than the steak I had last evening. The best one that I can re-collect though was in a little place when I was studying Nottingham, it was rare steal with cognac, cream and green peppercorn sauce and those flavours are still etched in my memory. Getting back to the point, this was perhaps one of the steaks that was barely bordering towards enjoyment, but definitely not what I had read about and expected.

That thing About This Place is that it definitely creates the perfect setting for a meal that I will remember, with its beautiful décor, pleasant staff and a memorable evening. What brought it all together was that smiling security guy ,Valet guy and the memory of those words that will always remain with me, an Indigo Café that made me realize my love for rare steak.

Ambience: 8/ 10 Very Good

Value For Money: 7/ 10 Good

Menu: 8/ 10 Very Good

Food: 7/ 10 Good

Service: 6/ 10 Average (For the Stinky Glass)

That Thing About This Place: 7/ 10 Good

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

Rating = 7/ 10

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The Truth About Superfoods


One of the trendiest terms in the global food market and perhaps soon to reach the Indian market is


First thing we all should know about is that it is a marketing term not a scientific term.
Foods, high in nutrient value, vitamins n minerals such as brocolli, blueberry and oily fish like tuna n salmon are
These foods are called due to a high nutrient value, however,it has more to do with marketing than science
The term was first used in the 1990s,spinach has gained a reputation as superfood being rich in vitamins n minerals
Also associated with easy absorption n high nutritive value. Carrot, olive oil, tea, watercress are often termed as
The question, Is tea making you younger?
The answer, Yes and No, as reported by the Independent UK, tea is loaded with anti-oxidants.
Tea research also proves that tea reduces risk of cancer n heart disease but not with milk and especially not sugar
Tea quenches thirst, is loaded with anti-oxidants & is delicious.Antioxidants are great for skin n cleanse the body
Instead getting swayed by marketing terms like simply use the 5 a day logic for fruits n vegetables for well being
Top 10 include Apples, Salmon, Tea, Yogurt, WholegrainSeededBread, OliveOil, BakedBeans, Bananas, BrazilNuts, Broccoli
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Cheating Eating; 6 Ways to Cheating Your Tongue Into Delicious, Lean Food

Can’t stop eating and always craving for something yummy? Then you and me are just the same. I came up with ‘Trick’ Eating, so I can have something yummy without having to land a double chin soon. Ad commercials, newspapers and food posters on my way to work, make me really hungry. Loud growling stomach, embarrassing me in front of other shoppers at the supermarket! ‘Look at your own chubby face, Lady!’ Isn’t it always the story, hungry at the supermarket, when work gets boring or on Sunday seated in front of the television? I realised that it is the great flavours that I crave. I came up with a few tricks of my own to conquer my craving.

  1. Soup Dinner. Liquid food, can be full of flavour and without having to compromise on meal portions or starving yourself, you can have some great meals, with minimum carbohydrates in the evening. (We all know that evening carbs are not good for us!) You can try out my Tom Yam Kai recipe. It is the flavour or ginger, lemongrass, chilli in a flavourful stock with mushrooms and chicken or tofu if you are vegetarian. It is just like drinking water, yet so flavourful, lean with pieces of chicken and veggies for the nutrition bit. You can also have dal or vegetable curry as soup without the rice or roti in the evening. http://foodietryingstein.blogspot.in/2012/06/cheating-eating-1-soup-dinnerslean-and.html
  2. Cheat Creamy Textures. You and I are both big fans of mayonnaise and sour cream. Dips or sandwich spread or for a salad dressing, you can’t do without that creaminess. Whip up some fresh hung curd, but drink the whey don’t throw it away! Use this thick, creamy yogurt by flavouring it with herbs and spices. It can be used as spreads, dips and salad dressing.
  3. Curry Wise. Indian food uses a whole lot of fried onion and cashew paste and other rich ingredients for curries. Use minimum oil and cook the meats or vegetables on low heat so that they cook in their own juices. High heat dries the meats or vegetables to which you end up adding more oil. Go for thin flavoured curries, with spices without using fried onion or cashew to thicken. You can try out my Gawti Chicken recipe, which is a flavourful curry without fried onion or cashew paste.http://foodietryingstein.blogspot.in/2012/05/no-blender-gauti-chicken-curry.html
  4. Red Instead of White. When eating pasta or other European dishes, go for the options with tomato sauce over white sauce. Tomato sauce flavoured with fresh basil, is a winner. Most lean sauces are beautifully flavoured with herbs and leave out the excess cream and flour involved in making white sauce based pastas. Spaghetti in tomato sauce is my favourite. Here is the recipe, try it out!http://foodietryingstein.blogspot.in/2011/06/i-am-so-hungry-since-i-saw-it-on-tv-and.html
  5. Grill, Bake and Roast. Don’t Fry. Vegetables or meat, while cooking, use the least oily option. Chicken skin can be made crispy in its own skin if you pop it in the oven instead of frying. Marinated pieces of chicken can be roasted or grilled instead of frying before you add it into the curry. In Ayurvedic cooking I learnt, oil enhances the flavour of the spices but heat is the medium in which actually cooks it. Did you know, you could add in rai and curry patta to sambhar without adding oil too? A teaspoon of oil is enough for flavour, on low heat the veggies won’t burn or you can steam veggies before adding the tadka, so they are already cooked without the oil.
  6. Choose your bread wisely. Opt for Phulkas and chapattis over parathas and puris. I am a big fan of tandoori rotis and kulchas too, they are delicious with minimum oil or butter! Also, go for gobi, palak stuffing in breads over potato and paneer.

Selective eating, doesn’t sound so hard, does it? I’ve always been told that early, low carb dinners are good. I am working on it. As long as the food fills me up, I good with a beautifully flavoured grilled chicken with a side of vegetables with a just a spoonful of great sauce!
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With Whom Will You Dine Before You Die? 3rd May, Out of The Blue and Burrp Bloggers’ Meet



Name three people alive or dead, who you would like to have dinner with? I will actually choose 8, lively and the most interesting people in Mumbai city. Thanks to a little foodie meet organized by Burrp Mumbai and Out of The Blue I had the perfect evening earlier this month. A table full of delicious food, surrounded by 8 bright, food encyclopedias, that evening just kept getting better and better with each course. There were talks of the food, the lovely Desi Fondue, which someone commented, tasted a tad like Dal Makhani with all the spices. And there were talks of great chefs, their recipes and achievements alternated with handing out the delicious pieces of ham, chicken and grilled vegetables between the two exquisite fondues.
Everyone had their take on Reality Food Shows, from Masterchef India, UK, Australia and TopChef to Gordon Ramsay and his cocky ways. Each one was strongly opinionated, eloquent and knowledgeable. From Food Books to Travel talk, that evening was the greatest, most exciting Food Class that I’ve ever had. It was amazing to learn about different opinions, what excites people about food and the way it is presented on television. Even better to share those little instances of ‘I thought I was the only one who thought Gordon Ramsay’s brash behavior was over-played on American TV shows!’.
Let me tell you about each one of our Twitter Foodie present from the Mumbai Brigade that evening. To make this simpler, I am going to refer to all of us as elements of a salad.
Let’s start with our host, @Kunalailani7 from Out of The Blue. Like the Lettuce, Kunal was playing the composed host who was bringing the whole party together in many ways. He was sitting on one side just listening, smiling and absorbing all the excitement of us foodies that evening. He ordered stuffed, fried mushrooms. I am not a big fan of this dish and honestly, trying a cold piece out in the end after all the great food, did not help its cause.
@TheBigBhookad is how I like to see all foodies. Like a tomato, the tanginess of sarcasm with the sweetness of humour and the firm support of great knowledge of food and the city that brings it all together in his head. He talks because he knows, as his eyes twinkle behind those thick-framed glasses. He ordered a large, four meat sizzler, if I remember correctly. I tried it and thought in comparison with other main dishes at the table, this dish was not that great.
@TheBlackSakura is most definitely the olive in our salad. Her intricate observation and clear description of what goes right and wrong with food, along with the concentrated flavor of her information on cuisines and ingredients gives her this defining character, like the olive. Incidentally, she ordered the same dish as I did, pork with sage with mashed potatoes. The meat was delicate, subtly flavored, a gorgeous main dish.

@ScrollnInk , her writing is what defines her in the real sense. She is the Cucumber of the salad, composed and calmly expressing with clarity of thought. Her use of the language in expressing food is very impressive. I missed the soup course because I had arrived a little later!
@BellyFirstTweet is the spicy bell pepper! With spicy tweets and all the great photographs of food she clicked that evening. Short and spicy comments with the gift of food illustration! She ordered the lamb shanks and was generous enough to give me an entire shank, which I loved. It was crispy on the outside, the tender sweetness of meat inside.
@Foodchants, from Burrp Mumbai, the second of our hosts who brought this idea together, mayonnaise dressing of the group, really bringing it all together. The rich flavor of writing, creativity combining food with work that evening, she really doubled well! She ordered a fish main dish, the sauce was too rich and needed some tang to cut the richness, which was missing.
@desh, the crispy herbed crouton of the group, adding the crunchy to our salad! Desh has literally traveled around this desh. His description of every food experience, as he traveled around makes him an amazing conversationalist and an interesting company for a great dinner. He ordered the grilled rawas with lemon butter that evening, and who can go wrong with that dish really!
@Caramelwings, she is really the caramelized chicken wing bits in that salad. She is peppy, crunchy and full of smart punches and one-liners. Her great attitude added the texture and intense flavor to the Mumbai food brigade. She ordered the pork sizzler that evening which has faded in my memory now.
@foodtryingstein, well, I don’t want it to seem like I am blowing my own trumpet, but I would really like to be the fragrant basil in the salad, simply because I was smelling like one since I had just finished cooking a batch of spaghetti arabiatta before that long and bumpy rickshaw ride to powai for my pork and sage. Well, you can’t deny it when the stomach growls! So that says it all, my account of that evening, the question’s answered. I will dine with those that love, savour and know their food. Those that live to eat!
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Phir Bhi Dil Hai Shakahari; Shakahari, Pune Marriott

Name: Shakahari, Marriott, Pune
Location: Marriott, Senapati Bapat Road, Pune
Date of Visit: 15th May, 2012 (Dinner)

My Mom is a vegetarian, so is my mausi, mami, nani and Pinku. Picking a restaurant is not easy all around. Until five years back, their only options were udipi restaurants and pao bhaji places. Among the few vegetarian fine-dining restaurants that have popped up in the city, Shakahari is one of the most talked about. I will be honest, I am a true carnivore and going to Shakahari wasn’t my first choice. We had to go for Mom’s choice, it being my parents’ 36th ‘Meeting’ Anniversary. Yes, I was born to a very romantic couple. Anyway, getting back to Shakahari, this is a very beautifully designed restaurant. I’d say it is even better than Alto Vino, the Italian restaurant in Marriott.
It is spacious and private, the wooden aesthetics and mood lighting promised a cozy and elegant evening ahead. Our server was courteous, attentive with a good knowledge of the menu but most of all, he seemed interested in what he was doing, a rare find.

What a Delicious cabbage roll!
I do appreciate a chef who manages to respect the integrity of fresh ingredients by not over-flavoring them, and also one that whips up a light mousse like theirs.
Honestly, apart from their Tava mushroom appetiser which was lightly flavored with fresh ground spices and mustard oil, lightly flavored baby potatoes for main course, the dumplings and few items on the dessert buffet, the food wasn’t extraordinary. Even so, now I realize there were quite a few dishes that I liked.

Tava Mushrooms
The menu and method of service had some interesting aspects to it. For starters, the menu included vegetarian Sushi, steamed broccoli, a wide range of salads and a wider range of condiments and dressings. In the appetizers as well as the main course selection there were Asian and Indian items with a good mix of regular favorites and some unique dishes to choose from. The Buddhist likes of glass noodles and steamed vegetables as well as Indian, Rajasthani delicacies like Papad aur Mangodi ki sabzi made up for a rare range.
Main Dishes
Shakahari’s is what I call a Smart Service Style. The soup, salad and dessert are laid on the buffet, while the appetisers and main course are served at the table. Each group of diners can choose two Asian and three Indian appetisers and two Asian and three Indian main course from the selection specified on the menu card. There are two advantages in this form of service; the first being that the quality of food is maintained at a la carte standards because the food hasn’t been lying in the trays for hours, and the second being that the wastage of food is minimal because diners don’t tend to over serve. I know that I always fill my plate up in a buffet because I don’t want to get up for a second helping. The irony is that I end up going for the second helping of the dishes that I like anyway.
Sweets
The dessert selection was charmingly extravagant with chocolate gateau to passion fruit cheesecake, lamingtons and my personal favourite, baked yogurt. There were ice creams and balu shahi along with moong dal halwa and other Indian sweets. The white chocolate mousse was beautifully done and the best part was that all of the desserts were lightly sweetened. This allowed us to load ourselves heavily with the sweets without wanting to cleanse our palate with karela juice!
I was pleasantly surprised by this extravagant and fine vegetarian meal. It is a treat for the Global vegetarian and certainly did not fail to amuse and entice the palate of a meat worshipper like myself and that’s the Thing About This Place.
Ambience: 8/ 10 Very Good
Value For Money: 7/ 10 Good
Service: 7/ 10 Good
Menu: 7/ 10 Good
Food: 7/ 10 Good
That Thing About This Place: 8/ 10 Very Good
Very Good Ambience + Good Value For Money + Good Service + Good Menu + Good Food + Very Good That Thing About This Place = Good
Rating = 7/ 10
by

Necessary Pantry Back Up Supplies (Tweets)

There are a couple of foods that always come in handy when you are too tired or lazy to step out of the house or cook. For the times when your stomach is growling and you need something thing to eat this minute. Then there are those food cravings that drive us all crazy. Yesterday, in my tweets I discussed some of these foods that should be stored in your pantry in case you don’t wish to step out of the house.





You can read back to find some of these Pantry Necessities.

  1. It is funny how most of our kitchen are carbs take rice, flour, potatoes for example with a longer shelf life.
  2. I don’t fear famine just a lazy sunday..so I can just get out of bed n cook up some mashed potato and sausages
  3. I am not big on frozen or processed meats, I keep eggs for a cheesy omlette just in case
  4. I have to be honest, maggi & soup powders are a must have on my shelf in case of terminal yum factor starvation. I love maggi!
  5. I always have some form of dried pasta in my shelf usually it is penne or macaroni.
  6. Butter, cheese and mayonnaise are life savers when it comes to kitchen , not to forget BBQ sauce comes in handy too.
  7. Onion n garlic in India take the place of bacon in other kitchens around the world for that strong flavour in most Indian curries.
  8. Leftover chicken curry n stale rotis made into a kathi roll lunch
  9. Even in my hostel days I used to keep dal n rice to make khichdi on a hotplate. for when I was homesick.
  10. Nuts.almonds, walnuts, cashew and pecans have protein, fiber n healthy fats you can store them as a healthy snack in your pantry
  11. Cereal and milk the healthy in my kitchen.
  12. Canned tuna, a great choice for quick snack or salad . Pantry
  13. Whole grain crackers are a good replacement for bread. Pantry
  14. Juice boxes and energy or sports drinks are great for instant energy as Pantry
  15. Tang .. Great Pantry
  16. 6 o’clock hunger. Its killing me. This is exactly why I need all those yummy in my pantry.



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