CaLDRON Magazine, March 2015

March 2015 Available on the Web via Issuu. Available on the mobile at Google Play Store and Apple App Store (via Magzter and Issuu)

PROUD TO BE A WOMAN PAGE 18

23 recipes

reviews: delhi, bangalore, Mumbai

easy recipes for working women

tried a beer cocktail yet?

vodka cocktails for food adulteration dinner? is reality!

are you or your children anaemic?

ever thought of dining out and in?

the westin, gurgaon, reviewed.

CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 1

6 awesome people you should know

CONTENTS reviews

08 India, now and then delhi 10 the science of good food delhi 12 global grills in picturesque outdoors

recipes

20 shipra khanna cover story 26 harsha kilachand cover story 30 ami behram shroff cover story 34 crescentia scolt fernandes cover story 36 chef neha malhotra cover story 60 shaival chandra food talk

09 lamb biryani croquettes with saalan aioli 11 guppy house salad 13 cochin bay grouper 15 spinach and saffron risotto balls 17 warm belgian chocolate pancakes 25 spinach and beetroot cupcakes 40 grilled vegetables with semolina cake 42 olive oil infused couscous upma 44 oats with chicken, spinach and broccoli 46 pan cooked watermelon and pear salad 48 grilled chicken salad 50 grilled tofu with peppers satay 52 poached sea bass with greens 54 spicy skewered chicken, mushroom sauce 66 oven roasted tomato and bell pepper soup 68 broccoli with caramelised onions and nuts 70 smoked salmon and basil pesto bruschetta 72 blueberry buttermilk panna cotta

events etc.

drinks & cocktails

bangalore

14 plated to impress mumbai 16 breakfast like a king mumbai

cover story

18 proud to be a woman

people you should know

82 belvedere vodka at milak fashion week 83 gaggan, bankok best restaurant in asia 84 music, wine and fashion at sulafest 2015 85 holidayiq poll: startling results

food & flavors

38 look forward to cooking after work 56 an epicurean dine-in experience 64 get moving, get active, the holistic way 74 did you just eat an adulterated laddoo?

76 and dinner is served tried & tasted

matters of spirit

86 brewtails - a tale of beer cocktails 87 on a legendary quest

issue bonus

106 understanding anaemis health nut

travel

100 westin, gurgaon roaming rover

2 | CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015

90 love twist 92 brazilian martini 94 twisted caipirinha 96 spiced fresh strawberry caiprojka 98 eve's fix

Regulars

05 editorial 06 born this month 07 contributors 08 reviews 18 cover story 80 ask the experts 100 roaming rover 110 national listings 111 international listings

like vodka? try the cocktail recipes on page 88

CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 3

The Team

useful information

editorial

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JASWINDER SINGH (delhi/ncr)

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MANISH BHALLA (London, UK)

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manish.bhalla@chefatlarge.in NATASHA ALI (Bangalore)

natasha.ali@chefatlarge.in PARUL PRATAP SHIRAZI (Delhi/NCR)

parul.shirazi@chefatlarge.in RHEA MITRA-DALAL (Mumbai)

rhea.dalal@chefatlarge.in SANDEEP SRINIVASA (delhi/ncr)

sandeep.srinivasa@chefatlarge.in SID KHULLAR (Delhi/NCR)

sid.khullar@chefatlarge.in VINITA BHATIA (Mumbai)

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4 | CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015

I

find the notion of a day dedicated to a gender a little condescending, given that every day is a reason to celebrate who you are. Having said that, we aren't about to rock the boat and have faithfully brought to you, via our cover story, six inspiring women who did choose to rock the boat and how. While I'm on the topic, and the concept of glass ceilings is still a bit fresh, did you know, car heaters, Monopoly, fire escapes, life rafts, medical syringes, refrigerators, ice cream makers, dishwashers, closed circuit television, central heating systems and kevlar were all invented by women? Did you also know that despite where India is in terms of being a global presence or any other metric you choose to apply, women couldn't work in a bar in Delhi until a few short years ago, and still cannot work past 8.30pm in a bar in Mumbai?

Talking of antiquated laws, I hear there's still one going around, which thankfully our cops ignore, that requires a person to present a doctor issued certificate stating he/she is medically required to drink alcohol.

Talking of alcohol we have a few vodka cocktail recipes for you this time along with a quick feature on beer cocktails, a rare presence in most bar menus. In fact, apart from the much made Shandy, I doubt most of us have had the opportunity to experience them. Summer is here, so I'm guessing all manner of bubbly, frothy, chilled relief will be explored, beer cocktails being the notable entrant this time around.Which reminds me, beer too is said to be invented by a woman though strangely that beverage doesn't seem to be as accepted by women in this country as in others.

Given the lovely weather we're experiencing at this perfect time between Summer and Winter, what do you plan to do? Will you be exploring the great outdoors or using the time to catch up with reading at outdoor cafes alternating between coffees and summery fruit drinks, or other such? Do share on our forum!

Stay well.

Sid

editorial CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 5

BORN THIS MONTH

RACHEL ALLEN ■ BORN MARCH 21, 1972

LIVING LEGEND

IMAGE COURTESYKERRYGOLDUSA.COM TEXT SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA.COM

also been broadcast in Australia, Canada, Italy, and elsewhere. A book, Rachel’s Favourite Food, accompanied the series, published

by Gill & Macmillan. Two further TV series and books followed, Rachel’s Favourite Food for Friends and Rachel's Favourite Food At Home; reruns of the latter became part of Create's television schedule in the United States starting in September 2010.

Allen is a frequent guest on BBC's Saturday Kitchen, and is one of the presenters on the Good Food Channel Market Kitchen show.

In 2008, she was in a series called Rachel Allen: Bake! for RTÉ.

Allen has written for many Irish publications, including three years with Irish lifestyle magazine Image and a weekly column in The Sunday Tribune Magazine. She has also contributed to BBC Good Food magazine and AWT At Home magazine.

Rachel Allen is an Irish celebrity chef, known for her work on television and as a writer. She appears regularly on Raidió Teilifís Éireann.

Allen went to the Ballymaloe Cookery School at the age of 18.

After graduating from the school she cooked at the Ballymaloe

House Hotel, eventually returning first to test recipes and then to teach at the school. She worked for a while as a caterer in Vancouver before returning again to teach at Ballymaloe.

In September 2004, RTÉ broadcast Allen’s first series in Ireland Rachel's Favourite Food, which has

Allen designs a line of products for Tipperary Crystal, including crystal stemware, porcelain dinner sets, and kitchen/dining essentials.

In 2012, she was involved in a controversy over hunting pictures of her posted on Facebook. She soon appeared as a guest on The Saturday Night Show to discuss her behaviour. ■

Awards Won In July 2012, she became "Dr" Rachel Allen after receiving an Honorary Doctorate in Science from the University of Ulster at Belfast's Waterfront Hall for her contribution to the culinary arts 6 | CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015

MAR 2015

CONTRIBUTORS

Chef Natarajan Kulandai, Corporate Chef of Gateway Hotels & Resorts, has an enviable 30 years of culinary experience with the Taj Hotels, Palaces and Resorts itself. A specialist in national and international cuisine — including Mediterranean, Pacific Rim, Creole, South East Asian and Sri Lankan — he overlooks the entire F&B operations across the Gateway Hotels since 2003. Twice nominated as one of the Five Best Chefs in India, Chef Natarajan is one of the few chefs in the country certified by the World Association for Chefs Society and is also a former president of the South India Culinary Association and member of the Chef Guild of Sri Lanka.

Chef Rahul Dhavale, Executive Chef of Westin Mumbai Garden City knows what it means to cook while racing against time and feels a certain kinship to working women professionals who often face the same challenge, almost every day of the week. After all, he has been doing exactly that for over 15 years!

He shares some easy tips, and recipes, for these hardworking ladies that takes the stress out of cooking, without compromising on the nutritional value of food.

Fitness professional and nutritionist Neeraj Mehta has over 28 years experience in 14 different physical fitness conditioning fields like karate, taekwondo, kickboxing, Tai Chi, functional training, high insensitive yoga, Pilates, cross training, strength training, etc. As Director and Technical Head of GFFI Fitness Academy, he has completed his M. Phil in Physical Education from Delhi University and Phd in Human Biomechanics and is renowned as a body balancing specialist capable of getting his clients into their best ever shape in the quickest possible time.

Dr. Sushma Ayyalasomayajula is a General Practitioner working in the UK with 14 years of clinical experience in various medical specialties. Sushma believes in equipping people to understand their health better by sharing her knowledge of medicine with them particularly with regards to lifestyle and food. Sushma leans towards holistic care i.e. look at the person as a human being and not a patient with just another symptom or problem. This helps her understand the psychosocial dynamics of health which she feels plays a large role both as a problem and as a solution.

As MD of Auriga Research and Executive Director of Arbro Pharmaceutical, Dr Saurabh Arora is well aware that chemicals are now an indispensable part of our lives. What he can’t condone though is the rampant use of harmful chemicals in food, which could be injurious to our health. Concerned about the rising incidences of over adulterated food being served by various eateries throughout India, he founded Foodsafetyhelpline.com web portal and mobile app with a simple purpose in mind – educate people about food safety norms and also create awareness about the penalties that can be levied on those found flouting these policies.

CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 7

RESTAURANT REVIEW SID KHULLAR / DELHI

India, Now and Then Desi Roots is picking up individual Indian dishes and rebuilding them from the ground up, in food and styling avatars that most of us would barely recognize.

claims the same provenance.

Thankfully, Desi Roots is all set to change that.

Desi Roots chose to go the grunge route with nostalgic pit stops along three very different, very well done seating areas laid out across the sprawling premises. I expected the menu to follow in the footsteps of Indian Accent. Instead, the food at Desi Roots is better than Indian Accent, preserving as it does the

DESI ROOTS, SAKET, NEW DELHI

Chipotle Chicken Tikka with Avocado Raita

Q

uite a few restaurants have tried to be the champions of Indian cuisine, mostly extending their attempts to dressing up the staff in fancy dresses, adorning the walls with related paraphernalia, spinning ridiculous tales around the origin of their food and serving identical fare that is slammed down on every other table that

8 | CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015

nature of the ethnic dishes served, while presenting every dish in a very innovative manner.

AWAY FROM THE SAFE PATH We began with an Amuse Bouche of Paruppu Vadai artfully styled on a base of snowy white coconut chutney, a dab of green chutney, a dash of podi, topped off with crisp fried curry leaves. This course was

a harbinger of things to come; the crisp vada, the fresh chutney and the balance of flavors indicating a detail oriented kitchen, led by Chef Rajiv Sinha.

I thought Chef Sinha’s food to be bold and brimming with flavours that usually die silent deaths in most commercial kitchens. In addition, this kitchen also had the distinction of delivering the best vegetarian soup I’ve ever eaten, a Hindustani Cappuccino (INR 175), the secret to which Chef might share with you when you visit.

Instead of walking the middle path, Chef Sinha has instead chosen to infuse his food with oodles of chili heat where appropriate and bring to his diners as yet undiscovered recipes for well known dishes, such as the delicious and unfamiliar Nihari (INR 495), causing me to renew my vows to this longstanding favourite. Others like the Deconstructed Samosa (INR 215) and Lamb Biryani Croquettes (INR 395) cause you to see the stalwarts that inspired them in a whole new light.

I am glad that Desi Roots is doing good things to ethnic Indian food.

I strongly suggest a visit, or five, to reacquaint yourself with the dishes you thought you knew, but didn’t. ■

{ INGREDIENTS } For Lamb Croquettes 2 tbsp ghee 2 onions, sliced 200 gm mutton mince 20 gm ginger garlic paste 15 gm whole Indian spices 1 tsp red chilly powder 50 gm curd Salt, to taste 120 gm basmati rice, partially boiled 50 gm browned onions 1 tbsp mint leaves, chopped

Few saffron strands ½ tsp rose water ½ tsp Kewda Few coriander leaves, chopped 1 egg, beaten 100 gm bread crumbs For Saalan Aioli 1 tbsp peanuts 1 tsp sesame seeds 1 tsp coriander seeds 1 onion, sliced

1 tbsp cashewnuts Few curry leaves 2 tbsp refined oil 1 tbsp whole red chillies 1 tsp mustard seeds 20 gm green chilly 1 tsp ginger garlic paste 1 tsp yellow chilli powder Salt, to taste 1 tsp garam masala 1 tbsp garlic mayonnaise

{ METHOD } For Biryani Croquettes 1. In a heavy bottomed pan, heat ghee.

Sauté onions till golden brown.

2. Add mutton, ginger garlic paste, whole Indian spices, chilly powder, salt and curd. Sauté till all the masalas are cooked and oil starts separating.

3. In another heavy bottomed pan, layer rice with mutton masala. In between add browned onion, mint leaves, saffron water, gulab water, kewda water and coriander leaves.

4. Layer till all the mixture is used. The top layer should be rice. Simmer for 30 minutes.

5. Once cooked, mash up coarsely and make tikkis of it.

6. Bathe in beaten egg and coat with bread crumbs.

7. Heat oil in a frying pan. Shallow fry croquettes till golden brown and serve hot with Saalan Aioli.

For Saalan Aioli 1. In a heavy bottommed pan, broil

Biryani Croquettes are an innovatively presented dish that taste as good as any traditional preparation.

peanuts, sesame seeds, onion, coriander and cashew nuts. Let it cool and then make a paste out of it.

2. In a saucepan, heat oil. Add curry leaves, whole red chilly and mustard seeds and let it crackle. Add ginger garlic paste and cook till it turns golden brown. Add yellow red chilly, salt and garam masala and add to the prepared paste.

3. Let it cook for a while till oil starts releasing from the side.When cool add garlic mayonnaise to make Saalan Aioli.

Recipe courtesy Chef Rajiv Sinha

DESI ROOTS, SAKET, NEW DELHI

* Serves: 1 *

4/5

PRICE: INR 2500++ (Meal for two)

ADDRESS: Ground Floor, Salcon Rasvilas, Near Select City Walk Mall, District Centre, Saket, New Delhi PHONES: 011 331 06105

CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 9

RESTAURANT REVIEW

LAMB BIRYANI CROQUETTES WITH SAALAN AIOLI

RESTAURANT REVIEW PARUL PRATAP SHIRAZI / DELHI

If you're a culinary explorer, you'll find plenty for your palate at Guppy by Ai. You will stumble over food made with quality ingredients, thoughtful balance and deeply attractive flavours, pleasing the soul not just the palate.

S

ome cuisines are a certified way to experience food that pleases the soul and not just the palate; especially Japanese food, which is science in a bowl. Various ingredients come together to balance the Qi, to bring a pall of silence while the eater eats, not wasting a single breath to just breathe, he uses it to inhale and taste and be one with himself.

Hence, choosing the right Japanese restaurant is key to this nirvana-esque experience, hard to come by at standalone Pan-Asian kitchens.

Japanese food needs exclusive attention by experienced chefs, so choose a kitchen known for quality and freshness. That’s exactly what drew us to try the Winter Menu at Guppy by Ai.

10 | CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015

Guppy is heralded as the forerunner in modern Japanese food, though the word ‘modern’ makes me nervous. Japanese cuisine has plenty of potential for modernization. I notice that Chef Vikram Khatri’s kitchen has a bit of a playful disposition that certainly shows in his food, as does his suave flair.

GAME CHANGING FOOD The food that came out of Guppy that day was a game changer – theatrical and beautiful! Just a simple bowl of steaming, soft and nutty Edamame was so telling, we binged on them as we waited for the Chicken Suimono (INR 350) soup. It is a delicate presentation of a bouquet of mini root vegetables and woody enoki, with steamed chicken dumplings, where the clear and richly flavoured chicken broth is poured over. Inhale deeply as this happens; it will clear your senses right where you sit!

This was closely followed by a deeply revelatory salad – the Chirashi Seafood Salad (INR 600), pickled prawn, tuna, salmon, crab and seasonal greens in goma-ae dressing. There is a distinct aroma of sesame but the umami-loaded flavours run much more complex,

making this dish unforgettable.

Our platter of Uramaki, Inside Out (INR 650) was great too – natural black rice sushi, another signature menu at Guppy from the sushi bar menu.

Japanese finesse came in the form of Beetroot and Plump Avocado Tartar (INR 550), slow cooked tender beetroot and plump avocado tartare with citrus dressing.

The integrity of sweet beetroot and buttery avocado was maintained with evenly thin slices; a true treat for vegetarians.

It was actually when the Nasu Dengaku inspired Grilled Aubergine (INR 750) made an appearance we were certain this was a fine menu for vegetarians. Aubergine pulp and onion is cooked in gochujang miso, then stuffed back into the aubergine shell and baked with garlic panko topping to make a creamy, smoky dish that’s an ideal side for a lighter bowl of soba noodles.

SURPRISE AFTER SURPRISE We finally indulged with the Crispy Soft Shell Crab (INR 990); nitrogen batter fried soft shell crab tempura served with wasabi mayo.

For vegetarians the show stopper

The Science of Good Food

The dessert was a bit of a letdown, not in terms of taste but in terms of variety. I would have preferred a clichéd Matcha Crème Brulee any day or perhaps even a Dorayaki over the Warm Apple and Prune Pie (INR 400) we were served.

Cinnamon flavoured, warm with a buttery crust, it was certainly enjoyable but not befitting the meal that we had just had!

GUPPY BY AI, NEW DELHI

As much as this seems like an expansive meal, Japanese food allows you to eat generously and not feel like you have; that’s where ancient cuisines win. A meal at Guppy by Ai is a symbiosis of ingredients that creates wonderfully palatable, surprisingly light dishes! ■

Mushroon Takekomi Gohan is a delicious dish for those who revere their mushrooms

GUPPY HOUSE SALAD { INGREDIENTS } 2 carrots, sliced 2 radishes, sliced 2 Lebanese cucumbers, sliced 1 cup broccoli, cut florets 1 beetroot, sliced 50 gm bamboo shoots, sliced

½ cup palm heart, sliced 6 asparagus, sliced into 2-inch pieces 1 tbsp flax seeds For Dressing 3 tbsp white miso 4 tsp Japanese mus-

tard 2 tbsp rice vinegar Salt and pepper powder, to taste 1 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp Mirin 1 tbsp water ½ cup salad oil

{ METHOD } For Dressing 1. Mix water, mustard, Mirin, sugar and rice vinegar and mix. Add miso and blend well.

2. While whisking, slowly pour in the oil and let it blend in the mixture. Adjust seasoning.

For Salad 1. Boil water in large pot and immerse broccoli, asparagus and bamboo shoots for 30 seconds.

Take it out and immediately refresh it in ice water.

2. Roll and shape cucumber, beetroot, carrot and radish slices like flower petals. Slice rest half into match stick

shape. Dip it into ice chilled water to crisp it up.

3. Drain and pat dry all vegetables.

4. In a mixing bowl, add all the vegetables except palm heart. Add dressing and toss well.

5. Add palm heart and drizzle more dressing on top.

6. Arrange nicely in a bowl and garnish with flax seeds.

4/5

Recipe courtesy Guppy by Ai * Serves: 4 *

PRICE: INR 4000++ (Meal for two)

ADDRESS: 28, Main Market, Lodhi Colony, New Delhi PHONES: 011 246 90005, +91 9650 185005 CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 11

RESTAURANT REVIEW

is the Mushroom Takikomi Rice (INR 700), a variety of mushrooms slow cooked with rice in dashi and flavoured with soy sauce, keeping the delicious earthiness of all the mushrooms intact.

RESTAURANT REVIEW NATASHA ALI / BANGALORE

Global Grills In Picturesque Outdoors

T

he Oberoi is one of the five stars in town that I haven’t visited for a meal, despite having had family stay there, and friends say how much they love it!

Thus, when my friends invited me to enjoy the Global Grills Festival at the Polo Club, I was determined to not miss out.

The a la carte menu of carefully crafted grills was impressive and with the exception of one item, the half a dozen things we were presented tasting portions of, were just delicious. There was only one cocktail for me once I heard the

The timing of Global Grills festival at the Polo Club was perfect. Organized just before the heat of summer set in, one could enjoy a taste of global grills with its perfectly paired marinades and sauces in the open air.

12 | CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015

words ‘Earl Grey Martini’ since I admittedly am addicted to Earl Grey tea. Add alcohol to the mix, and well, I just had my high, didn’t I?! Especially since the drink had a palpable, bold Earl Grey flavor, none of that just a hint of it stuff!

HITTING THE RIGHT SPOTS Coming back to the menu, the full sized portions came with sides like baked potato, mash, creamed spinach, grilled veggies or corn on the cob. I spied both Rock lobster and Scampi on the menu, apart from New Zealand lamp chops and Snail Sausage. The first morsel I ate just happened to be the very best – Twice Cooked Australian Pork Belly with mustard and honey glaze (INR 1850). Oh, what a delicious bite that was!

Orange Creme Brulee topped with figs

The Scottish Salmon (INR 1500) was another beautiful prep, and I quite enjoyed the fresh fish of the day too. The grilled sausage was nicely done, the Barbequed Chicken Skewers (INR 950) packed a lot more flavour than expected and received a round of oohs and aahs across the table, while the Tiger Prawns (INR 1250) and Tenderloin ( INR 975) hit all the right notes.

The only dish we didn’t care for was the Shish kebab with Pita and Vegetables (INR 1150), for a simple reason - it was oversalted.

I could not end without a mention of dessert, an Orange Creme Brulee after my own heart, with the notes of citrus and a perfectly torched crust. We were told that a massive favourite at The Oberoi was the Belgian Chocolate Pudding

{ INGREDIENTS } 2 groupers (800 gm to 1 kg, each) 1 tsp garlic, chopped 4 – 6 lemon wedges

Salt, to taste 10 fresh basil leaves, chopped 10 ml virgin olive oil

4-5 dried Kashmiri chillies, chopped and deseeded

{ METHOD } 6. Once the fish is 1. Fillet the fish and 4. Heat the grill to cooked squeeze the remove the bones.

300°C and clean the lime wedge over the Remove the skin. same with a towel fillet.

2. Heat oil in a pan. Add duster. Season the 7. Serve with mashed grill top with a little garlic, chillies and potatoes and grilled oil. basil and sauté well. vegetables.

Leave this chilli oil to 5. Place the fish on the grill and cook on one cool.

Recipe courtesy side for 3 minutes 3. Season the fish with and then flip the The Oberoi, Bangalore a little salt and then same and cook for marinate with the * Serves: 4 * another 3 minutes. chilli oil for 1 hour.

The a la carte menu of carefully crafted grills was impressive and with the exception of one item, the half a dozen things we were presented tasting portions of, were just delicious.

“

The grills were presented with all-time favorite sides such as jacket potatoes topped with sour cream.

with vanilla ice cream, and I realised why – it had a fondant cake with an oozing chocolate center.

The young ‘un at the table took me to the pond where frogs and tadpoles serenaded and Koi fish of all sizes and colours made their

merry way. Enjoying the balmy atmosphere of the evening, I realised that the festival was planned at the right time. It was during the last lovely evenings that Bangalore could offer before the summer heat set in. If only the festival and climate could last for much longer! ■

3/5

PRICE: INR 3000++ (meal for two)

ADDRESS: Polo Club, The Oberoi, 37-39, MG Road, Bangalore PHONES: 080 255 85858

CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 13

RESTAURANT REVIEW

COCHIN BAY GROUPER

RESTAURANT REVIEW VINITA BHATIA / MUMBAI

Plated To Impress

I

t is easy to miss Silver Beach Cafe though it is located next to the iconic Sterling theatre, because of its discreet signage.

Everything about this establishment might appear equally understated, but it nonetheless is a quaint restaurant where you can escape for an afternoon of catching the goss with friends.

While crafting the menu, Chef Rohan D’Souza has stuck to his credo of global fusion food. Choose from European and Mediterranean food ranging from salads, pasta, pizza, fondue alongside some Oriental food thrown in to pander to popular tastes.

While contemplating the vast menu, we sipped on Strawberry Lemonade (INR 195), with fresh strawberries blended with lime juice, Sprite and soda.

The Plum Blossom (INR 195) had a brown sludgy mess of California plums at the bottom of the glass

that kept getting caught in the straw, making it difficult to slurp the drink.

The Spinach and Saffron Risotto Balls (INR 245) gave us a peek into Chef Rohan’s forte – presenting food with a panache that translates to art on a plate. You can’t help but admire the clever way in which he plates dishes with ordinary ingredients to up the overall oomph quotient. How else would you explain the unexpected, and unmentioned, splatter of Japanese Soya Chilli Mayonnaise on which the crispy risotto balls sat prettily?

We are glad Chef Rohan works with local seafood rather than fancy fare. The well cooked Indian Salmon with Basil Chili Pesto (INR 490) would have been very ordinary had he not tossed it with abandon in pesto and then spooned a little more of the sauce on the top.

RAISING THE BAR The Wild Mushroom Cappuccino (INR 180) missed the high bar that Chef Rohan had set for himself in our eyes. He redeemed it with the simple Provencal Seafood Bisque (INR 210) served sans fanfare. The liberal addition of chopped garlic, Thai basil leaves, prawns, squids and a wee bit of chilly oil made this soup the stuff for comfort eating.

The Mixed Spiced Pork Belly with Pumpkin Risotto (INR 690) did not have avante garde looks, but it tasted wholesome. The tomato sauce in which the Arborio rice of Roasted Veg Ratatouille Risotto (INR 490) was cooked had a lovely kick because of the braised basil leaves.

Thankfully, the chef did not spoil things by adding anything more than Parmesan shavings over it.

PICK YOUR DESSERTS What stood out in the Hazelnut and Chocolate Mousse was not so much the dense chocolate, but its thick, crusty, crunchy base of cornflakes mixed with Nutella.

Chef Rohan D’Souza of Silver Beach Cafe cleverly uses his plating prowess to make the most ordinary dish look like something fit for a gourmand. Photogs, beware; you will find yourself so busy clicking photos of the food, you might end up eating after it has turned cold.

14 | CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015

{ INGREDIENTS } 1 tbsp butter 1 onion, chopped 2 tsp garlic, chopped 1 cup spinach leaves, chopped Salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup risotto rice, cooked ½ cup white wine 2 tsp saffron 2 tsp parsley or thyme, chopped ½ cup Parmesan, grated

4 tbsp sundried tomatoes, chopped 1 tsp lemon juice Panko crumbs, to coat the balls Oil, for frying

{ METHOD } 1. Heat butter in pan and sauté garlic and onion till deep fry in oil. onions turn soft.

7. Serve hot with fresh tomato-herb salsa.

Recipe courtesy 2. Add spinach, salt and pepper. Keep aside.

Silver Beach Cafe 3. Add cooked risotto rice and cook with wine, saffron and mixed herbs. * Serves: 4 * 4. Add cheese to the risotto and leave aside to cool.

Preparation time: 20 minutes 5. Fold spinach, sundried tomato and lemon juice into Cooking Time: 20 minutes the risotto.

6. Make risotto balls and coat with Panko crumbs and

SILVER BEACH CAFE, MUMBAI

Spinach and Saffron Risotto Balls

The toffee sauce in the Pear Tarte Tartin made the dessert tooth-achingly sweet, so we stuck to picking out the slices of poached and caramelised pears, which were delightful.

Service at Silver Beach Cafe is not just prompt, it is dazzlingly fast.

We finished our meal in under

an hour, where usually we lavish around two hours in most restaurants. We would not mind dropping in here regularly for lunch, not just for the modish take on dishes that are priced sensibly, but as much as for the experience of being amazed by the chef ’s skill as an artist. ■

The Spinach and Saffron Risotto Balls gave us a peek into Chef Rohan’s forte – presenting food with a panache that translates to art on a plate.

“

4/5

PRICE: INR 2000++ (Meal for two)

ADDRESS: 16, Murzban Road, Near Sterling Cinema, Fort, Mumbai - 400 001 PHONES: 022 301 51841 CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 15

RESTAURANT REVIEW

SPINACH AND SAFFRON RISOTTO BALLS

RESTAURANT REVIEW VINITA BHATIA / MUMBAI

Breakfast Like A King

W

hile sidestepping cars in a narrow street of Kalaghoda, keep an eye out for overhanging bougainvilleas from faux window sills on the first level of a building. You will then see the slatted wooden shutters that make up the door of The Nutcracker. Step inside and you feel like you have stumbled into a picturesque kitchen in an English countryside house. The floor has a classic honeycomb design, which throws into relief the polished wooden furniture. Some yellow stools are upended on a wall, a writing pad is transformed into a wall clock while one wall houses framed photographs from Kuber Shah that are up for sale – how is that for quaint?

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The Breakfast Sliders (INR 190) has two mini burger buns filled with soft scrambled eggs and a smear of pesto served with some potato crisps - trussed up Akuri served in slider buns. Talking about breads, we were told that the Nutcracker bakes its breads and makes its desserts in-house. You can feel that when you break apart the soft

breads, which are so much superior to the commercially available varieties.

Breakfast is incomplete without Belgian Chocolate Buttermilk Pancake (INR 210), which was prettily presented with chopped straw-

Warm Belgian chocolate pancakes

PIYUSH SINGH, FOOD DIARIES

DIG INTO A HEARTY BREKKIE The menu is vegetarian with just a couple of egg dishes, which probably is a passing nod to the owner, Anaheeta Bafna’s, Parsi lineage.

We therefore decided to begin our meal with a quintessentially Parsi breakfast item, Salli Eedu (INR 190), which is scrambled egg with deep fried potato threads, served

with Pav. The potato shavings stole the show from the eggs because of their sheer quantity.

If you visit The Nutcracker that is precisely what you would end up doing.

This quaint cafe at Kalaghoda does have brunch fare, but then again what is brunch but an extended breakfast?

ing blend of oats, dates, milk and nuts is served in a country style mason jar bottle, which is small enough to fit a purse.

What we liked best is that the beverages are freshly prepared with hardly anything coming out of a bottle. Realising we had enough carbs to last us a week, we turned towards the Asian Salad (INR 240).

And what a find this was! Thin strips of zucchini, carrots, spring onions, raw papaya and coriander, served with an amazing sweet and

and we picked it up for dessertto-go along with a slice of Apple Crumble (INR 210). With layers of biscuit crumble, butterscotch, Belgian chocolate and almonds, the cookie is probably the best we ever tasted! The crunchy apple pieces in the buttery crumble were a mouthful and merited high praise.

We hope The Nutcracker soon includes other meat-based dishes like Kheema Pav, bacon rashers, sausages, etc. Why should vegetarians have all the fun, after all! ■

WARM BELGIAN CHOCOLATE PANCAKES { INGREDIENTS } 1 cup flour 1 tsp baking soda 3 tbsp sugar

2 eggs, beaten 1 cup buttermilk 150 gm chocolate chips

3 tbsp butter

{ METHOD } 1. Mix flour, baking soda and sugar in a large bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, mix eggs and buttermilk, until light and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients to this mixture and stir well.

3. Add chocolate chips and mix.

4. Heat a pancake griddle and add a little butter. Use ladle to drop the mixture onto griddle. Cook on each side over medium flame till golden brown.

LEISURELY BREAKFAST Amongst beverages, we tried the Mint Lemonade (INR 120), which comes with a 3-fingers thick froth of fresh mint puree. If you are in too much of a hurry to grab a bite, pick up Breakfast In A Bottle (INR 160). This delicious and very fill-

5. Serve with maple syrup or honey.

Recipe courtesy The Nutcracker * Makes: 4 pancakes * Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 10 minutes

spicy chilli oil dressing along with some crunchy peanuts – this is every dieter’s dream come true in a way that their taste buds, for once, will thank them profusely for!

It is hard to resist something called Seven Layer Cookie (INR 260),

3/5

PRICE: INR 1100++ (meal for two)

ADDRESS: Modern House, Dr. V.B. Gandhi Marg, Opposite One Forbes Building, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai PHONES: 022 228 42430 CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 17

RESTAURANT REVIEW

berries and two bowls containing butter and maple syrup. The pancakes had so much icing sugar dusted over them, we knew we would regret eating it whenever we stepped on the weighing scale. The Mumbai Local Sandwich (INR 230) was disappointing only because it was just what you could get at any of the numerous sandwich stalls dotting Mumbai streets. Why would one chuck out five times the amount to eat the same at The Nutcracker?

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PROUD TO BE A WOMAN While the battle rages on about India’s Daughter and the position that women have in the largely patriarchal society that is our country, we present to you some ladies who decided to go out there and prove their point – that they are as good, if not better, than their male counterparts. Rather than worrying about what they might not be able to accomplish, they took on new challenges – a little scared, a little wary – but game to achieve what they had set out to do.

CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 19

COVER STORY

by Vinita bhatia with inputs from parul pratap shirazi

“I don’t know about other reality shows. But when it comes to cooking, how can you rig it?”

FOOD DIARIES

– Shipra Khanna

S

hipra Khanna has been cooking since she was 9 years old; first at her mother’s home and then in her marital house.

When things soured in her 10-year old marriage, her mother filed her nomination for the MasterChef India Season 2 competition hoping to bolster her spirits. Little did Shipra know that this flight of fancy would garner her national fame and recognition, especially after she won the reality show!

Since then, she has landed her own TV show on Food Food TV channel, opened her own restaurant and was recently appointed as culinary connoisseur

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for Tourism Australia and Cox & Kings, where she used local Australian produce and crafted vegetarian Indian dishes for tourists visiting that country. Not bad for a girl from Shimla who had lived a sheltered life.

When were you first introduced to the world of cooking?

■ I began cooking when I was around 9 years old and living in Shimla, more to help out my mother. As I grew older, my mother felt confident of letting me cook an entire meal by myself. I would rummage in the fridge and cook with whatever ingredients were available. My mother always maintained that I was a good cook

When Shipra Khanna won MasterChef India Season 2, she had to deal with many insinuations.

One of them was about the show being rigged, which she vehemently denies. Another was about trying to get sympathy votes, which she passionately denies, pointing out that when one stays away from home for four months during the filming of the show, some emotional breakdown is to be expected. Call her what you like, but Vinita Bhatia finds out that there is no denying that Shipra Khanna is one spunky woman who speaks her mind.

proud to be a woman - shipra khanna

COVER STORY

real competition. They were hard working, innovative and more importantly, knew how to execute their food ideas.

Shipra Khanna giving tips on making street food at home and safe eating.

STILL OF STAR PLUS VIDE ON YOUTUBE

Do you like to follow recipes to the letter or create your own dish as you go?

■ Since I was used to cooking with whatever was at hand, I am better at cooking innovatively rather than by following a recipe to the T. This ability helped me immensely in fusion cooking, which I can now claim is my forte.

and she would keep encouraging me to showcase my talent. In fact, it was she who sent in my details for MasterChef India Season 2.

“Once you are in the MasterChef kitchen you can’t remember theory, especially when you are an amateur chef. You tend to cook with instincts rather than follow a recipe.”

– Shipra Khanna

Were you confident about winning MasterChef India Season 2?

■ While the show was going on, I was going through a lot of difficulty in my personal life (she was separated from her husband following instances of domestic harassment). But I knew that I had to keep going. I guess my faith and my cooking skills helped me emerge the winner for the show.

I was not confident about winning MasterChef Season 2 because there were so many talented cooks there.

As the show progressed, everyone’s strengths became more evident and the top 10 finalists were my

When I say fusion cooking, I am alluding to blending two cuisines and creating one gourmet dish out of it. My onus is usually on Indian cuisine, since that is what I know very well. But I enjoy blending it with Oriental and Italian cooking techniques and ingredients.

When you view the ongoing episodes of MasterChef India Season 4 do you think it has become easier for contestants?

■ I remember seeing MasterChef India Season 3 and thinking that it was much easier than what we had gone through as contestants in the previous season, since they were focusing on Indian food, which everyone knows well. In Season 2, the theme was world cuisine.

Thankfully, since I was aware about, and had an inclination towards, global cuisines, I had leverage over others.

Now in Season 4, they are focusing only on vegetarian dishes and while people think it is challenging, it actually isn’t. After all, you have more vegetables than meat or CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 21

COVER STORY

proud to be a woman - shipra khanna

STILL OF STAR PLUS VIDE ON YOUTUBE

“Once I was taking some stuff out of a blender and another contestant accidentally started the machine – while my finger was within it! I asked them jovially whether they were trying to kill off the competition!”

– Shipra Khanna poultry. And even with meat, you always add vegetables.

In fact, when I interned for Michelin star French Chef Alain Passard in Paris, I was amazed to see the way he treated the vegetables. It is an eye opener and I have never eaten vegetables that way before. We limit ourselves when we think about vegetarian food, but I think the contestants of MasterChef Season 4 will have a great time exploring it.

Now that MasterChef Season 4 is on, what new things do you hope will be incorporated in the show?

■ Contestants of MasterChef Season 2 went through some really tough tasks. I hope the current batch of contenders get to face the heat, too.

I have realised that is when the real qualities of a MasterChef winner come to the fore. The entire idea of the show is that if you can come up with culinary masterpieces under stress and pressure then you are the real winner.

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Were there any tough moments during the show when you wanted to throw in the towel?

■ There were many tough moments, but I never thought of giving up.

There was this one moment during the show when I was given the black apron, which meant I went straight to the danger zone. I had not used the element I was supposed to while cooking my dish. That time, I was sceptical whether I would last the round.

Another occasion when I felt that the going was tough was during the bootcamp when we had to cook with just six ingredients. However, I prevailed because my criterion for participating in the show was not to win, but to just show to the world what I can do as a cook. I know this sounds clichéd but it is very true.

But there were some comical times too. I am very accident prone and I was the first person to get the apron and gain entry to the MasterChef kitchen. By then I had chopped off some portion of all my fingers and

proud to be a woman - shipra khanna

COVER STORY

THEDESIDIVAS.WORDPRESS.COM

"When I interned for Michelin starred French Chef, Alain Passard in Paris, I was amazed to see the way he treated the vegetables."

I had bandages crisscrossing my hands! Now when I look back at those videos, I burst out laughing.

There was this other time when a contestant, after frying something, kept the hot spotted ladle right on my hand. Once I was taking some stuff out of a blender and another contestant accidentally started the machine – while my finger was within it! I asked them jovially whether they were trying to kill off the competition!

It has often been said that the Indian judges are rude and ruthless when compared to their Australian counterparts and try to pry sobs from the contestants.

Did you have such experiences?

■ I don’t think that is the fact.

The judges are there to guide and mentor and if they are critical of my

cooking, then it is up to me to take it positively. They are there to boost your confidence and I think they are doing a fine job.

Are you still in touch with any of the contestants?

■ Oh yes! We have a chat group where the 12 finalists are members and we keep telling each other which places we have been to, and what new things we are doing in our lives and we meet up too. We went into MasterChef India as competitors but we exited as friends.

Do you think that the MasterChef India series focuses too much on the contestants’ lives rather than their cooking skills?

■ Actually the MasterChef team gets your life’s story and puts it together for the viewers to have a better understanding of you as a CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 23

COVER STORY

proud to be a woman - shipra khanna

person. For the contestants, it can get difficult because you are staying away from your family amongst strangers who are vying for the same prize as you are, for over four months.

Of course, when anyone from your family comes to the show, you will cry – it is human. And that brings in the connect with the viewer and everyone soon has their favourites.

This helps because later on, you have the voting and viewers will vote only for those contestants that they can relate to.

In fact, when I meet viewers today they tell me, “We loved you and could relate so well with you”. I get that especially from kids and girls, who empathise with me. It feels so good. And that is when it hits you that all that personal probing about your life is what makes the viewers associate so well with you.

Most reality show winners have to deal with the contention that the results were rigged. Have you faced such insinuations?

■ I don’t know about other reality shows. But when it comes to cooking, how can you rig it? Because once you are start the process of cooking, like sautéing onions and then adding garlic, I can’t say that stop this and let’s start it all over again. It never happens like that.

Also, once you are in the MasterChef kitchen you can’t remember theory, especially when you are an amateur chef. You tend to cook with instincts rather than follow a recipe.

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It is obvious that you are a diehard advocate of MasterChef!

■ Totally and why not? Winning the show has helped me achieve all my dreams. It has given me a platform where I could take my culinary skills from my home to a national level. After all, it is one brand that is globally recognised; you really don’t need to add anything to that.

You are from Shimla and later lived in Agra. Yet you opened your restaurant HOT - "House Of Taste" in Ahmedabad. What prompted this action?

■ Ahmedabad is one of the finest cities in the country and a growing metropolis. And the locals there are very passionate about food and eating. That is why I decided to start my restaurant, House Of Taste (HOT), there in 2013. It is fusion Indian food and has signature recipes that you will not find anywhere else in the country. Given that Gujaratis are very particular about their food, I have to keep ensuring that the food is novel and has quality produce. Luckily I had a restaurant in Delhi so I knew how to manage restaurants too.

You are also a culinary connoisseur for Tourism Australia and Cox & Kings. What exactly does your role entail?

■ This is a culinary journey all over Australia which was called MasterChef Travel. I visited most cities in that country, and I can say that this is a food capital of the world. They have a lot of amazing produce, like fresh honeycomb and cheese, superb wineries; almost everything is locally grown or reared.

I also got a lot of insight about their local produce and how their government is pushing for exporting this to other countries, since they do not have a lot of local consumption given the low population. I visited the wineries in Yarra valley to understand how they make and store their wine. Then I visited the Queen Victoria market in Melbourne and I fell in love with all the lovely seafood – from the scallops to the barramundi.

I got a chance to take a closer look at it and then write about it and figure out recipes. Usually while visiting various countries, tourists miss out going to the local haunts and eating the local food. I tried to use their vegetarian produce and come up with Indian fusion food for Cox & King travellers. For instance, I made Achari Halloumi Wrap, where the Halloumi was from Australia.

What other projects are you involved in?

■ I have started my own YouTube channel and then I have my TV shows on Food Food right now.

So when you are not cooking or travelling, what do you like to do?

■ Sleep, because that is a rare occurrence for me. I also love to dance and I have done Bharatnatyam and Kathak. And though I am not a good singer, I love to sing, especially old English classics. I also design jewellery since I come from a jeweler’s family. ■

recipe by shipra khanna

COVER STORY

SPINACH AND BEETROOT CUPCAKES { INGREDIENTS } For the Cupcakes 175 gm all purpose flour 1 ½ baking powder 3 eggs 155 gm unsalted butter 150 gm caster sugar

Few drops of vanilla essence 1/2 cup milk For the Icing 150 gm whipping cream 1 tbsp spinach puree

1 tbsp beetroot puree Few drops vanilla essence Mint leaves and sprinkles, for garnish

{ METHOD } For Cupcakes 1. Preheat oven to 180ºC. 2. In a bowl, sieve flour and baking powder. Keep aside.

3. In another bowl, whisk eggs butter and sugar till light and fluffy.

4. Mix the flour in the above mixture. Add milk and vanilla essence.

5. Fill the batter evenly into the Recipe courtesy Shipra Khanna

silicone cupcake moulds.

2. Divide this into three equal por6. Bake in preheated oven for tions.

10 – 15 minutes until the top is 3. To one add spinach puree, to the golden brown. other add beetroot puree and to 7. Take out the cupcakes on a wire the third add vanilla essence.

4. Put them into icing cones and tray and let it cool. ice cupcakes with different flavours.

For Icing 5. Garnish with mint leaves and 1. Whisk the cream till peaks are sprinkles before serving. formed. * Makes: 4 cupcakes * Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 25

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proud to be a woman - harsha kilachand

To The Patisserie Born Given her enviable lineage, Harsha Kilachand could have lived the life of the bold and beautiful. Instead, she started a catering enterprise, providing gourmet specialty creations for a niche clientele. Though the road hasn’t been smooth always, especially given the FSSAI rules on importing produce, she is glad she walked down this path rather than become yet another lady who lunches.

B

DIVYA BHATIA

orn in the Kilachand family, amongst Mumbai’s oldest and renowned dynasties, Harsha Kilachand had the world’s best. She studied in Switzerland and other parts of Europe and has travelled the world several times over. With the silver spoon firmly in her mouth, she just had to point to get whatever she wanted.

However, she chose to become an entrepreneur in her own right, away from the dazzling spotlight that always shone on her because of her enviable lineage.

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At 13, Harsha realised that delicacies she savored in Europe, like croquembouche or black forest bavarois, weren’t available in India.

Of those available, most weren’t up to the standards she knew. She realised there was only one way to get around this problem, and began dabbling in baking. Seeing her interest, her parents sectioned an area at home to make space for her culinary experiments.

proud to be a woman - harsha kilachand

COVER STORY

control the quality of her premium fare. And this passion for quality has become her calling card today.

STAYING NICHE When Harsha started her own catering services, instead of a marketing blitzkrieg she relied on word-of-mouth publicity.

Rather than tapping every event, she decided to get into less popular affairs like baby showers, hospital favours, baby announcements, etc.

“Initially, cooking and baking was just a passion - my family members were my guinea pigs. Slowly, friends got drawn in and loved my creations. I enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu to get my professional chops, to understand the art of cooking. Once I returned to Mumbai, my friends would insist I cook for their parties or soirees. That is how my catering business began in 1990. Even then I was clear about one thing – I wanted to create niche products rather than get into mass-production,” she recalls.

Asked why she was keen on staying niche, her pat response is that was the only way she could

“Most high society people back then just gave a box of chocolates for these special occasions and despite the premium quality, it wasn’t a very personalised offering,” she recalls. Harsha began offering personalised hampers that stayed memorable long after the event, like the miniature clothes rack holding tiny baby dresses where each outfit doubled as a small pouch stuffed with chocolates.

These products did immensely well, especially because Harsha never repeated her creations.

Her clients were assured of getting something specially created for them.

“My clientele take exclusivity very seriously. At times, prospective clients ask me to replicate something I created for their acquaintances. I say it’s not possible, but give them options suited for their event. Most times, they are happy to accept my suggestions,” Harsha says.

CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 27

proud to be a woman - harsha kilachand

DIVYA BHATIA

COVER STORY

“My clientele take exclusivity very seriously. [I] give them options suited for their event. Most times, they are happy to accept my suggestions,” - Harsha Kilchand

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But what about when the same clients approach a local baker or event organiser and get them to replicate her exclusive decor, gifts, hampers and food? Well, Harsha is not bothered about that!

“They can try, but cannot pull off what I do. Partly because every element I offer is sourced via special suppliers. I get wrapping ribbons, hampers, boxes, paper, packaging, glue, everything from various suppliers across Europe. I even import cheese and butter from France and chocolates from Switzerland, other produce from their country of origin. Local caterers cannot match this quality, and my clients are very conscious about the quality of gifts they hand out. They would not want to compromise on this aspect

for a few thousand rupees,” Harsha confidently affirms.

STRIKING GOLD ON HER OWN She might have a point there - her services are booked most days of the week, and three months ago she opened a gourmet retail outlet in Mumbai, selling Harsha K branded deli and patisserie products. Given her penchant for exclusivity, she is also the sole seller of Stonewall Kitchen’s specialty foods.

For now, she has no plans of expanding into other cities, because she will not have control on quality checks for the products. “Call me a control freak, but I’ve made my team retie the ribbons on a hamper because it wasn’t perfect. Today, my regular clients let me decide

COVER STORY

DIVYA BHATIA

proud to be a woman - harsha kilachand

every aspect of their event because they know I am a stickler for perfection,” Harsha proudly claims.

Her 13-year old son is already keen to take over the reins of her business, while her 16-year old daughter helps manage her brand’s social media platforms. Her husband, Mehernosh, assists whenever he can find time from his own jewellery business.

Her biggest grouse is the number of regulations that act as a dampener for an entrepreneur in the food industry. Despite this, Harsha has no plans of hanging up her Christian Louboutins. “This venture is not about making money, but about having my own identity and doing something productive all the time,” she contentedly states. ■ CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 29

e r o

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proud to be a woman - ami behram shroff

COVER STORY

Who knew a movie Ami Behram Shroff watched as a teen would become the springboard for her professional aspirations? Watching Tom Cruise dexterously flip bottles in ‘Cocktail’ convinced her that this was what she could do, and do well. Crowned as India’s first female mixologist champion by La Maison Cointreau India at the country's first and only woman bartending competition, Ami is glad she followed her gut instinct.

A

s a child, Ami Behram Shroff was chief troublemaker and class clown at Mumbai’s Queen Mary School with little inclination towards studies. This was at odds with her family background – her father was a law professor, her mother was a sociology professor, while her sister grew up to become a multilingual teacher.

From the early days, her family realised that Ami was a non-conformist. Rather than compel her to fit into a mould, they encouraged her to explore her talents.

When her father started a travel agency and hosted shows for his clients, he would give in to Ami’s insistence to perform for the audience.

“My first stage performance was at Ruparel Law College’s annual function, where my dad compered the show. I was around 6 years, but managed to confidently do a solo dance performance on a popular Prabhu Deva song,” she recalls.

popular nightspot of JW Marriott, where they learnt how to deal with customers and make innovative cocktails on the spur of the moment. Soon, the two girls started freelancing at events and paid their way through college.

LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE Ask her whether she misses the fact that she does not have a degree on her wall proclaiming she is qualified to be a bartender and Ami is nonchalant. “I learnt by interacting with various bar professionals and from their experiences. Though I have participated in few short specialised courses over the years, I do not give much importance to degrees and qualifications,” she dismissively states.

Ami in action behind the bar, doing what she does best - mix awesome drinks!

Entertaining and building rapport with strangers is something Ami is very comfortable with, which is why flair bartending came naturally to her. It all began when as a 13-year old she watched Tom Cruise juggle bottles without missing a beat in the movie ‘Cocktail’.

Knowing that academics were not her cup of tea, she had already started taking up odd jobs from age 15 to get some financial independence. A couple of years later, she met flair bartenders, Ankit Negandhi and Shawn D'Souza. Along with her friend Delnaaz, she learned some tricks of the trade from them. During the summer months, they worked at Enigma, the CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 31

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proud to be a woman - ami behram shroff

“I forgot to double strain my drink and then served one drink in the wrong glass, though luckily the judges did not know that. When asked to speak about myself, I rambled about my story and overshot the time limit. Overall, it was my worst performance in a competition, and my first international competition at that” - Ami Behram Shroff 32 | CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015

After all, a course will not teach her how to play safe while hosting an event that might go on till the wee morning hours. Neither will it help her in negotiating payment terms with potential clients. These are things that she has learned on the job, the hard way, which she believes is the best teacher.

faced any gender bias in the 11 years as a freelancer flair bartender, she does detest the judgmental attitude people have about women who work in the night. That probably also explains why the ratio of women bartenders is literally non-existent when compared to their male peers.

“When discussing an assignment, I pay close attention to how the event company’s professional communicates with me, the questions they ask about my services during the event, how efficiently they organise my stay and travel and the mode of payment. Once everything is prearranged and organised, I feel more confident about my safety,” Ami explains.

However, Ami chooses to ignore these issues and focus on creating cocktails that will make her guests come back for more. She also participated in cocktail making competitions, which is how she landed as one of the finalists, and later emerged the winner, of La Maison Cointreau India, the country's first and only woman bartending competition in 2014.

Though she went on to represent India in the global finals in 2015, Ami knew she would not make the cut because of some bloopers she made during the event.

She has also had to battle many misconceptions and stereotypes as a female bartender. Though Ami affirmatively claims she has not

proud to be a woman - ami behram shroff

“I forgot to double strain my drink and then served one drink in the wrong glass, though luckily the judges did not know that. When asked to speak about myself, I rambled about my story and overshot the time limit. Overall, it was my worst performance in a competition, and my first international competition at that,” Ami dejectedly says.

COVER STORY

and other Remy Martin brands. She would now love to test these at the upcoming events she will be hosting, though she does not have an event calendar in place. She would rather take these as they come than chase brands aggressively and continue living life, one moment at a time. She has definitely earned that privilege. ■

But, she also learnt a lot by observing other competitors, espeically about experimenting with Cointreau CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 33

COVER STORY

proud to be a woman - Crescentia Scolt Fernandes

The Queen Of Goan Culinary Heritage

An Anglo-Indian who grew up in Kerala and went on to marry a Goan is a person whose kitchen is likely to churn out some of the best regional foods our country has to offer. Meet Crescentia Scolt Fernandes, Founder and Chef at Bernardo’s, Delhi/NCR’s only dedicated Goan kitchen.

H

aving worked with the UN for most of her life, 60-something year old Crescentia Scolt Fernandes used to spend her spare time baking elaborate occasion cakes and making pickles. Once orders for these started pouring in, this mother of two decided it was time to leave the comforts (or confounds!) of a 9-to-5 job and dive into the F&B industry. After all, she was good at taking risks.

Cres (as she is fondly called) started with a pickling factory and though the pickles were well-received, it was tough for a small local brand to keep up with the marketing budgets and extensive distribution systems of bigger brands. After the pickle factory closed, Cres realized that in the (then) 20 years of marriage she had collected a lot of family recipes and books from Goa. Along with her husband, Cris, she set up Bernardo’s in Delhi almost 10 years ago, after which they moved to 6 different locations. It was not easy, but luckily for them, their loyal clientele followed wherever they went.

PRESENTING LONG LOST DISHES Bernardo’s has a completely Goan menu with the standard specials of Vindaloo, Xacuti, Cafreal and

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proud to be a woman - Crescentia Scolt Fernandes

COVER STORY

Not many know that Cres and Cris are dog lovers and house over 40 abandoned, aged and injured dogs. They have set up the St. Bernard’s Animal Welfare Trust to give these animals a better life.

Bebinca but with one exception – they also serve forgotten dishes like Serradura, a condensed milk dessert styled like a trifle pudding and Pork Solantulem (Pork Amsol), where pork meat and ribs are slow-cooked with lots of kokum, whole red chillies and onions.

A big part of diversifying the menu was to serve the expat community of Gurgaon, who found the ‘Rechad’ masala too piquant for their palate. The real mark of Bernardo’s kitchen is that all masalas are personally made by Cres and the recipes are a family secret. She is one of the few chefs who still cooks every day because it gives her genuine pleasure.

Not many know that Cres and Cris are dog lovers and house over 40 abandoned, aged and injured dogs.

They have set up the St. Bernard’s Animal Welfare Trust to give these animals a better life. With her boundless energy and zest for life, Cres believes that she has enough love to spare for God’s four-footed angels, after she is done feeding hungry humans, so why not spread the cheer? Why not, indeed! ■ - Parul Pratap Shirazi

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proud to be a woman - chef neha malhotra

The Kitchen Warrior

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proud to be a woman - chef neha malhotra

COVER STORY

Commercial kitchens sometimes resemble war zones as chefs, helpers and other staffers work at searing speed to cook and serve food to their waiting guests. Imagine when this war zone has only male warriors and their playing field is in a reputed brand like Sheraton where no slipups will be acceptable. Now imagine, a 26-year old, soft spoken girl managing this show successfully. Don’t shake your head in disbelief, because that is exactly what Sous Chef-Patisserie Neha Malhotra does day in and out at the WelcomHotel Sheraton New Delhi.

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ll of 26 years old and at the helm of a 5-star pastry kitchen of a brand like Sheraton – that is the stuff that dreams are made of for most. Of course, it is not smooth sailing and even though Sous Chef-Patisserie Neha Malhotra likes to substitute the word ‘hurdle’ with ‘challenge’, her zest for modernity and experimentation makes it evident she feels the pressure.

This petite lady has an all-male team, most of whom have earned their chops over several years in the very same kitchen. She seems eerily collected on a weekday afternoon when we meet over coffee and talk about her early baking days where she was mentored by an ace baker, her grandmother.

to speak louder than she’d like to or proving her mettle by clocking over a dozen hours a day, earning the respect of her male colleagues hasn’t been easy. Luckily, she had anticipated it and prepared her psyche accordingly, knowing that only her work could settle the silent unrest as and when it cropped up!

She speaks of art in the same breath as pastry, she believes it is creativity that differentiates bakery kitchens and the WelcomHotel stamp helps it further. Her personal goal for the petite lady year ahead includes ‘pastry art’ and her creative cakes are making quite an all-male an impression on the city.

This has team, most of whom have earned their chops over several years in the very same kitchen.

Having grown up in a home where cakes, cupcakes and cookies were always homemade, it is only natural to presume she gets her serenity from her grandmother as well. An aura of calmness is an essential quality in a chef and unlike what popular TV shows portray, chefs can’t afford to be frenzied. That’s when mistakes happen.

DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY Chef Neha has the enviable combination of a sense of peace and a furious curiosity to learn. Despite having

Apart from handling the pastry counters at banquets and events held at the hotel, she keeps busy with orders for occasion cakes and confections. The in-house pastry shop is also one of her playgrounds where she gets to showcase artisan breads and breakfast bakery products like croissants, Danish, doughnuts and the usual.

Here is a young woman who chose to become a pastry chef but not one who finds comfort in a personally owned kitchen. She actually enjoys her job of walking into a male-dominated industry with a burning passion to leave an indelible mark behind. ■ - Parul Pratap Shirazi CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 37

TIPS & TREATS RAHUL DHAVALE

Look Forward To Cooking After a Long Workday Oh yes, it is possible! Chef Rahul Dhavale, Executive Chef of Westin Mumbai Garden City shares tips on converting your kitchen from your personal Tartarus to a fun zone. All it needs is some planning to take the hassle out of cooking.

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hilst at work meetings at the office, do your thoughts wander to meals that need to be cooked on getting home? If yes, then welcome to the club of beleaguered working women – ladies who want to do the right thing by cooking homemade, nutritious meals daily but don’t know how to manage the time for it, burdened as they are with their professional demands.

With an increasing number of women joining the workforce, the kitchen has emerged as their biggest battle zone as they try to juggle cooking after a hard day’s work, whilst also trying to devote time to their family’s needs and scourge some me-time for themselves. The best of multi-taskers often throw in the kitchen towel in defeat and every time they heat a pack of precooked food, their conscience takes them on a one-way ticket guilt trip.

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TIPS & TREATS

LOOK FORWARD TO COOKING AFTER A LONG DAY What if we told you that it need not be so and that you can serve healthy meals without taxing yourself?

Follow the tips shared by Chef Rahul Dhavale, Executive Chef of Westin Mumbai Garden City to take the anxiety out of cooking and make it a pleasurable exercise. #Tip 1: Plan in advance The thumb rule to running a tight ship, or kitchen, is planning well in advance. Plan all meals for the upcoming week, including snacks, over the weekend.

Factor in a couple of quick-to-prepare contingency meals for days when you could be racing against time. # Tip 2: Rely on technology Take the help of various apps available to plan your weekly menu. Over the weekend, you can then shop for ingredients according to this schedule, leading to minimal wastage of produce. Put this menu on the refrigerator so you can take a quick peek at what is up for the next day’s meals. #Tip 3: Buy Fresh Stick to buying fresh and seasonal produce. Underrated local vegetables like snake gourd, ridge gourd, colocassia, raw turmeric, etc, have great taste and can be prepared in multiple ways. It’s good for the palate and the pocket!

over beef or lamb and turkey over chicken. Substitute table salt with sea salt, since it has better flavour and leads to lesser consumption of sodium. Stock up on fresh herbs, as they can elevate the flavour of the most mundane dish and have medicinal properties to boot. # Tip 7: Act, don’t procrastinate As much as you are tempted to not work in the kitchen over the weekend, make an effort to make spice mixes and condiments that you will need through the week. For instance, you can grind ginger garlic paste, make tomato puree and onion paste and refrigerate it in bottles. When cooking a dish, use these and you can save a lot of time that is needed to make this on a regular basis. #Tip 8: Use TV time effectively While watching TV, chop vegetables that you will need for the next day. Pack them in separate airtight containers and refrigerate. # Tip 9: do what the pros do If you watch any cooking show, you will see that chefs organise their mise en place or keep all the ingredients ready and close at hand before they begin cooking. This is a great time saver as you will not be scouting for ingredients while something is bubbling away to nothing on the stove pot. Also, read recipes twice before you put them on your schedule. If something appears a little difficult, plan it for days when you know you have the luxury of time.

# Tip 4: Prepare beforehand Foods that require steaming or poaching can be prepared in advance and stored. Ideally, do it a day before so their nutritional value is not entirely lost. #Tip 10: Share the good word Exchange healthy recipes with your colleagues and # Tip 5: Seek time saving gadgets friends. It will perk up your repertoire and end the Invest in products like non-stick cookware, cookers, monotony on your table (you can also try the recipes ovens, soup makers, etc, based on your family’s food shared by Chef Rahul Dhavale in this issue). Ultipreferences. For instance, a soup maker is great if you mately, everyone wins! ■ have soups regularly as you can put all ingredients in it, set the time and have the soup ready. Similarly, As told to Vinita Bhatia a microwave is useful for cooking different types of food without needing constant monitoring. # Tip 6: Learn the art of substitution Opt for healthier eating choices like choosing fish CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 39

RECIPE CORNER

BREAKFAST

Grilled Vegetables With Semolina Cake

Packed with the goodness of assorted vegetables, this light and appetizing lunch is also a sight to behold. If you want to make it even more interesting, just sprinkle a little grated cheese and grill it for a few minutes before serving. { INGREDIENTS } 200 gm green and yellow zucchini, sliced 200 gm bell peppers, sliced 200 gm mushrooms, sliced 200 gm asparagus, sliced 50 gm coriander seeds, crushed

10 gm green chillies, finely chopped 50 gm basil leaves, chopped Salt, to taste 100 ml extra virgin olive oil 400 gm onions, chopped

400 gm tomatoes, chopped 400 gm semolina 300 ml hot water 100 gm coriander leaves, chopped

{ METHOD } 1. Marinate all vegetables with olive oil, coriander seeds, basil and chilies for half hour. Grill the vegetables.

2. In a pot, heat olive oil. Add tomatoes and onions and sautĂŠ it till the tomatoes are well mixed.

3. Add semolina and salt and toss well.

4. Add hot water in it and cook it till the time the semolina is soft.

5. Finish it with chopped coriander. Make sure it is thick in consistency.

6. Put it in deep tray till it sets.

7. In a non stick pan, sear the semolina cake till it is golden brown in color. Layer it with grilled vegetables and serve hot.

Variations: You can also use Polenta instead of semolina, as shown in the picture.

Recipe courtesy: Chef Rahul Dhavale * Serves: 4 * Preparation: 20 minutes Cooking: 20 minutes

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You can replace any of the vegetables with those that you like the most and still enjoy its tantalizing taste.

You could also experiment by using quick cooking polenta instead of semolina for a more exotic version.

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RECIPE CORNER

BREAKFAST

Olive Oil Infused Couscous Upma

There is nothing like a steaming bowl of upma that gives you the stamina to deal with any kind of a day. Throw in vegetables of your choice and you can keep reinventing this healthy breakfast as often as you like. { INGREDIENTS } 450 gm couscous 300 ml boiling water 50 ml extra virgin olive oil 2 tsp mustard seeds

10 curry leaves 1 tsp asafetida 350 gm tomatoes 250 gm bell peppers

50 gm coriander Salt and pepper, as per taste 200 gm coconut

{ METHOD } 1. In a bowl, take couscous and add boiling water and cover it with cling wrap.

2. In another pan, drizzle olive oil. Add mustard seeds, curry leaves, asafetida and sautĂŠ till the seeds start crackling.

3. Add tomatoes and capsicum and cook it for some time.

4. Once cooked, add it to couscous and add coriander and seasoning in it.

5. Garnish it with grated fresh coconut and serve hot.

Recipe courtesy: Chef Rahul Dhavale * Serves: 4 * Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking: 20 minutes

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1 cup serving of couscous provides only 176 calories while offering 43 mcg of selenium, which acts as an antioxidant. It also has around 18mg of potassium, which regulates blood pressure and helps in strengthening the heart’s muscles.

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RECIPE CORNER

BREAKFAST

Oats with Chicken, Spinach and Broccoli

This is a one-pot meal, packed with enough nutrients to keep your family going well after lunch time.You can replace the chicken with turkey to make it even healthier. { INGREDIENTS } 50 ml extra virgin olive oil 300 gm chicken breasts, cleaned 2 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp turmeric 150 gm onions, chopped

150 gm tomatoes, diced 200 gm spinach, chopped 200 gm broccoli florets 400 gm oats 300 ml hot water

Salt and pepper, to taste 50 gm coriander, chopped

{ METHOD } 1. In a pot, heat extra virgin olive oil. Add chicken breast pieces, cumin and turmeric and cook for 5 minutes.

2. Add onions and mix well.

3. Add tomatoes, spinach and broccoli florets to it.

4. Add the oats along with enough hot water to cover the oats.

5. Cover and let it cook till the oats are done.

6. Add seasoning and finish with coriander. Serve hot.

Recipe courtesy: Chef Rahul Dhavale * Serves: 4 * Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking: 20 minutes

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Oats contain the beta-glucan fiber as well as antioxidants, which together lower cholesterol levels and decrease the risk of heart ailments. Beta-glucan also fortifies the immune system's response to bacterial infection and lessens the blood sugar levels in diabetics.

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RECIPE CORNER

salad

Pan Cooked Watermelon, Pear, Orange And Iceberg Salad

A salad is a healthy way of informing the stomach that a bigger meal is on its way. So, why not make it a colourful and tangy affair? { INGREDIENTS } 450 gm watermelon 100 ml sesame oil 200 ml light soya sauce 200 gm pears, cut into thin slices

300 gm Iceberg lettuce, cleaned and pat dried 200 gm oranges segments 100 gm sugar

10 gm salt 1 tsp white pepper powder

{ METHOD } 1. Peel and deseed watermelon. Cut it into thick slices.

2. Cut each thick slice into slabs of 3 inch length, 1.5 inch wide and 0.5 inch thick.

3. On a hot pan, drizzle 1 tbsp sesame oil and sear the watermelon slices. Remove it in a plate and let it cool.

4. In a bowl, mix sesame oil, soya sauce and sugar well. Store it in a bottle and refrigerate it.

5. In another bowl, toss pear, lettuce and orange segments with the soya sesame oil.

6. Arrange it on the plate with the watermelon slices and serve cold.

Recipe courtesy: Chef Rahul Dhavale * Serves: 4 * Preparation: 20 minutes Cooking: 10 minutes

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Water-rich watermelons are packed with lycopene, an antioxidant, and vitamin A, while oranges are bursting with vitamin C. And how can one forget that pears are full of dietary fibers that help in smooth bowel movements?

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RECIPE CORNER

salad

Grilled Chicken Salad

This grilled chicken salad gets an uber-tasty makeover when mixed with egg white, tomatoes and beetroot and tossed in low-fat mint yogurt dressing. { INGREDIENTS } 350 gm chicken breast, cleaned 200 ml extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp thyme Salt and crushed black pepper, to taste

200 gm beetroot 3 eggs, boiled 300 gm low fat yogurt 1 ½ tbsp mint leaves, chopped 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

200 gm tomatoes, cut into wedges 300 gm Romaine lettuce

{ METHOD } 1. Marinate chicken breast with 100 ml extra virgin olive oil, thyme and salt and pepper for 1 hour. Grill it after an hour and once cooked, dice it.

2. Roast the beetroot and cut into dices.

3. Remove the yolk of the boiled eggs and cut the whites into quarters.

4. In a bowl, mix low fat yogurt, mint, Dijon mustard, extra virgin olive oil and seasoning.

5. Whisk it nicely and refrigerate it.

6. In a bowl, tear lettuce leaves. Add chicken pieces, tomatoes, beetroot and egg whites. Toss with low fat yogurt dressing. Serve cold.

Recipe courtesy: Chef Rahul Dhavale * Serves: 4 * Preparation: 20 minutes Cooking: NA

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Chicken is a healthier and low-calorie protein as compared to other meat. And when you grill it instead of frying, it is much better. The yoghurt dressing is low-fat as compared to other store bought options and you can use it for other salads through the week too.

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RECIPE CORNER

main course

Grilled Tofu With Peppers Satay And BBQ Sauce

The mild flavored tofu is balanced with the tanginess of BBQ sauce and when alternated with vegetables, it is a meal like no other. { INGREDIENTS } 300 gm tofu, diced 100 ml olive oil 1 tbsp garlic, crushed 40 gm basil leaves, chopped

Salt, to taste 300 gm green, yellow and red bell peppers, diced 100 gm broccoli florets

100 gm cherry tomatoes 100 gm button mushrooms 200 ml BBQ sauce

{ METHOD } 1. Marinate tofu in a mix of olive oil, garlic, basil and salt for half an hour.

2. On a satay stick, put two tofu dices and alternate with vegetables.

3. On a hot grilling pan, or barbeque grill, place these satay sticks. Brush with BBQ sauce and serve hot.

Variations: Add extra vegetables if you like, making the dish more nutritious and interesting.

Recipe courtesy: Chef Rahul Dhavale * Serves: 4 * Preparation: 15 minutes Cooking: 15 minutes

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Grilling is a healthier way of cooking since it uses less oil, as compared to frying.

Grilled also helps vegetables retain their nutritive values.

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RECIPE CORNER

main course

Poached Sea Bass With Greens

Poached sea bass gets a tangy twang with lemon zest, while the crunchy greens served alongside break the monotony of the creamy cauliflower puree. { INGREDIENTS } 600 gm local sea bass, cut into fillets Salt and black pepper, to taste 2 tsp lemon zest

1 ½ tbsp dill leaves, chopped 300 ml extra virgin oil 500 gm cauliflower florets 500 ml milk

1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped 400 gm spinach 4 -5 garlic cloves, chopped

{ METHOD } 1. Marinate sea bass fillets with salt, black pepper, 1 tsp lemon zest and dill. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.

2. In a pot, take 200 ml olive oil and make sure that the temperature of the oil is 60°C. Poach the fish in it till it is cooked.

3. In another pot, take 250 gm cauliflower florets and cover it with milk. Cook it on medium heat till the cauliflower is well cooked.

4. Strain the milk and blend the cooked cauliflower florets with a stick blender with extra virgin olive oil.

Keep it warm in the same pot.

5. In a pan, heat the remaining olive oil and sauté garlic in it. Add cleaned spinach and sauté it. Add salt and pepper as required.

6. On a plate, place a piece of poached fish and put a dollop of cauliflower puree on it. Serve garlic spinach on the side.

Recipe courtesy: Chef Rahul Dhavale * Serves: 4 * Preparation: 4 hours Cooking: 20 minutes

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Sea bass is rich in Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids, while the wonderful spinach is packed with vitamin A, vitamin C and antioxidants.

Put them together and you have a meal that is a powerhouse of nutrition.

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RECIPE CORNER

main course

Spicy Skewered Chicken With Mushroom Sauce

Enjoy the juicy skewered chicken any time of the day, and not just at meal times. If you are watching the waistline, replace the mushroom sauce with lemon juice. { INGREDIENTS } 40 ml olive oil 20 gm chili, chopped 200 ml honey Salt, to taste

400 gm chicken breasts 50 gm garlic, chopped 200 gm mushroom, sliced 200 ml cream

100 gm parsley, chopped 10 gm spring onions, chopped

{ METHOD } 1. In a bowl, mix 20 ml olive oil, 10 gm chili, honey and salt.

2. Mix chicken and marinate it in this marinade for a hour.

3. Skewer the marinated chicken and cook it on a hot pan.

4. In a pan, heat olive oil. Add garlic and mushrooms.

5. When it is cooked, add cream, chili flakes and parsley.

6. In a plate, arrange skewers of chicken and drizzle mushroom sauce over it. Sprinkle spring onions over it and serve hot.

Recipe courtesy: Chef Rahul Dhavale * Serves: 4 * Preparation: ** Cooking: **

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If you are trying to control your weight, grilled chicken is your best bet. What’s more, you can serve it with any sauce or salsa of your choice.

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An Epicurean Dine-In Experience

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vinita bhatia

business of food

Want to host an exclusive party complete with a chef on board and plated gourmet dishes presented by a team of liveried servers, but can’t be bothered to go to a hotel for this experience? A slew of service providers are addressing this urge to take luxury to a whole new level by getting a chef to cook a gourmand meal in your kitchen and presenting the food with elite plating at your dining table, albeit at a price tag that might make you balk. In simple words, if you have it and don’t mind flaunting it, then this is an experience that will reiterate your social cool quotient.

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s the marketing director of a leading multinational bank, Shikhar Kumar has to entertain potential and existing clients on a regular basis. Most of the times, he meets them over a meal at fine dining restaurants, but discussing business can be challenging if boisterous guests are seated at other tables or if the establishment has over-attentive service staff who keep butting in while he is conversing.

more expensive, so a gourmet dine-in service is the best of both worlds – restaurant quality plated dishes with wine and alcohol from your own bar,” she adds.

This niche need has helped in the creation of a new domain in the culinary industry – one where leading chefs will come in with their team, their produce, their implements and will cook a gourmet meal in your kitchen. Yes, you read that right – the meal will

“Restaurants can be a noisome affair, irrespective of how upscale it is. You cannot be too confident about the service and food quality either, which can backfire if you are trying to impress an important dignitary,” he says.

Shikhar tried hosting guests at home, but found himself more occupied refilling their drinks or ensuring they were enjoying their meal, despite the presence of house help. “These dinner parties at home lacked a certain panache that I wanted while hosting high profile guests as they would have to help themselves to the food, while dining out would mean that their attention was often diverted,” he grumbled.

He is not alone in holding these grouses when it comes to entertaining guests, because the host often transforms into a ghost, busy as he or she is in ensuring the guest is comfortable. There is nary a chance for informal shop talk or an opportunity to impress them with well plated gourmet food.

Chef Shilarna Vaze of Gaiä Home Chef points out that people are looking for more gratifying food experiences than the usual buffet dish dinners of Butter Chicken and Chinese. “Dining out is also getting

“Dining out is getting more expensive, so gourmet dine-in services offer the best of both worlds – restaurant quality, plated dishes with wine and alcohol from your own bar” - CHEF SHILARNA VAZE

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business of food

an epicurean dine-in experience

be prepared and plated in your kitchen and served to your guests.

BESPOKE EXPERIENCES The concept of having a chef cook in your kitchen is nothing new; Indians have been doing it with the maharaj for ages now, especially during special occasions.

But this new concept of having a gourmet meal served in the comfort of your home takes things to a different level. Here the chef will discuss the cuisine that you would like to serve, confer about the various courses, buy premium produce, come with an army of helpers, including a bartender if needed, cook a personalised meal so that fresh hot food is served to the guest, plate it prettily, adhering to the highest gourmet standards, wait on the guests and then clean up after the event.

“When you think of catering in India, it is usually a bulk affair made with huge, industrial machinery and armies of staff. We design sit-down dinners that offer an intimate, gourmet experience where we source the best products available depending on the client’s tastes and give serious thought to the menu including alcohol and food pairings,” Chef Shilarna adds.

Several companies have entered the fray of offering bespoke dinein experiences at home, including Gaiä Home Chef, Hopping Chef, Chef Host, Basil Kitchen, etc. Even a leading hotel chain, Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel from the Marriott Group of Hotels, has jumped on the bandwagon with the launch of ‘RChef @ Home’, where the hotel’s Executive Chef, Sandeep Pande, goes to the 58 | CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015

homes of elite guests along with his team to set up a marvelous décor and cook up an exquisite meal paired with rare whiskeys for them, keeping in mind guest preferences.

Talking about this initiative, Nasir Shaikh, Director of Operations, Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel said, “Private, élite and tailor made service is the precise definition of ‘R Chef @ home’.

The concept will change the way people organize, get-together and celebrate important occasions. R Chef @ Home is a complete experience with exotic food, great ambiance, comfort of home and good conversations with friends and family.”

Chef Michael Swamy, who is the culinary mentor at Hopping Chef, says that this concept is attracting a lot of chefs because finally he or she can be at the forefront interacting with guests. “Till recently, chefs were closeted in the kitchen and

“Till recently, chefs were closeted in the kitchen and the restaurant would get the kudos for their creativity.

With this new initiative of having a chef curate a meal for you in your home, they can be in the spotlight” - CHEF MICHAEL SWAMY Culinary Mentor Hopping Chef.

an epicurean dine-in experience

the restaurant would get the kudos for their creativity.

With this new initiative of having a chef curate a meal for you in your home, they can be in the spotlight,” he points out.

The money that can be made catering to exclusive clientele over a gourmet meal is also more than what most chefs make in a month slogging for hours in the hot kitchen of a restaurant. Some of them are associated with these boutique culinary service providers either on a per-event basis or are part of their culinary panel.

A PRICEY AFFAIR Of course, such a self-indulgent meal does not come cheap. R Chef @ Home is priced at INR 1 million for 10 guests, where the food is customized as per guest preference and Renaissance Mumbai arranges everything, from ingredients to cutlery. In the case of Hopping Chef, the prices range from INR 2,500 to INR 10,000 per guest, depending on the ingredients used and the level of customisation required. Gaiä Home Chef charges around INR 1500 per plate for buffet dinners, while a 5-course sit-down dinner can go upwards of INR 2,000 per person.

While these might sound like staggering figures there are many takers for it. In less than a year, Basil Kitchen in New Delhi seems to have its calendar blocked catering to premium clients for a better part of the month. Shaival Chandra, founder of Hopping Chef, too claims that the 8 chefs on the team are occupied on almost every time slot they can keep themselves available for the company.

As the concept of boutique catering companies gain ground, these entities find themselves targeting the

business of food

same clientele, making it pertinent to distinguish their offering from that of their closest competitors.

R Chef @ Home is banking on beau monde premium produce to attract patrons, while Basil Kitchen is using inimitable presentation to keep guests coming back for more.

“We have a carpenter who creates our special platters, which you won’t find elsewhere. For instance, we have a special platter where the skewers are hanging down an angled metal rod, which makes it a conversation starter. We also serve exceptional flavour combinations like lychee with wasabi and feta or tiny Paan Tikka, which our guests might get in a tony restaurant, but can’t recreate in their homes easily,” says Raman Kohli of Basil Kitchen.

Shaival adds that Hopping Chef guests are willing to pay a premium because the experiences are created by the likes of master chefs including Michael Swamy, Shantanu Gupte and Sanjib Sarkar. “These are names they read about in newspapers and watch on TV. Having such celebrated chefs prepare a gourmet meal with quality ingredients in their kitchen is a status statement to vie for, especially because the meal is presented in the distinctive style of each chef,” he points out. Besides, these curated meals are aimed at those who are looking at a gastronomic experience and not just an eat-all-you-can buffet.

Now, if like Shikhar you want to take luxury to a whole new level you know how to do it. Just call any of the above companies and get set for an evening where your guests and you are pampered with an epicurean affair right in the comfort of your home! ■

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food talk

by vinita bhatia

“WE WANT PEOPLE TO REDISCOVER THE PLEASURE OF ENTERTAINING AT HOME WITH GOURMET FOOD WITHOUT THE HASSLES ATTACHED” Shaival Chandra admits he is a stickler for processes and has prepared checklists for every procedure related to Hopping Chef. Once a Hopping Chef van broke down on the way to a client’s home and Shaival immediately added a process on how to handle the temperature controlled food to ensure it does not lose integrity. Since his brand offers bespoke dining experiences, he also claims that he is a stickler for high quality, which explains why Hopping Chef has only 8 chefs on its panels, each one handpicked and trained to deliver to their high profile customers’ expectations.

D

uring his 8 year-stay in the US, Shaival Chandra dined out daily at different types of eateries, which shaped his understanding of food. When he returned to India, he realised chefs here either do not highlight ingredients or don’t present food well. While attending various parties, he saw that the food served was too homogenous and impersonal, without any uniqueness in terms of designing of menu, selection of ingredients, food plating and pairing with beverages.

This triggered the idea of starting a bespoke dining service where customers could discuss the menu with celebrated chefs, who would then come with requisite ingredients, cook the meal in their kitchen and present it just the way it would have been served in an upscale restaurant. He teamed up with Sid Ugrankar and Dhaval Udeshi and three months after starting Hopping Chef and hosting around 30 events, Shaival tells Vinita Bhatia that he believes the trio are on to a good thing.

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Many catering companies offer personalised dining options. What distinguishes Hopping Chef from them?

■ Firstly, we are a private bespoke dining service and not a caterer. We tell our guests that if they want someone to just come and heat pre-cooked food in their kitchen, that is not us. We do not have a laundry list of 15,000 chefs. Instead, Hopping Chef has carefully curated 8 specialist chefs on our panel, after doing numerous trials with every single one, taking into account plating, flavour balancing, understanding their cooking techniques.

We started Hopping Chef to give people the opportunity to enjoy restaurant-like food in the comfort of their home, without all the hassles attached of selecting the ingredients, supervising its cooking, its presentation and the cleaning up after. The concept is about offering a bespoke dining experience with all the frills attached.

Why do you think people will be interested in this concept?

■ Though food is vast in this country, it is very disor-

food talk ganised and chefs do not get the credit that they deserve. If you think of your favourite restaurant, I doubt you can name the chef there.

Wouldn’t it be fun to have a chef come and cook you a meal that is designed around your taste and preference that actually highlights the ingredients that you like?

Dhaval Udeshi, Shaival Chandra and Siddharth Ugrankar of Hopping Chef

In most restaurants the chef will not come out and cook a meal as per your preference, but will serve what he has cooked. With Hopping Chef we are giving people the option where they can design a menu with a reputed chef as per their preference. We also have a mixologist who or less at the price points as an upscale restaurant. Our meals start at can pair beverages with this menu. around INR 2500 per head, which is sensible when they compare what The chef will then personally select they are getting in the bargain – premium ingredients for the meal, reputed chefs like Shantanu Gupte, come with his team of helpers and Michael Swamy or Sanjib Sarkar, cook the food right in your kitchen. cleaners, servers, mixologists, crockThe food will be plated innovativeery, everything. We want people ly just like you get in a fine dine to rediscover the pleasure of enterrestaurant and will be served to taining at home with gourmet food your guests and we also clean up without the hassles attached. after the meal.

Once people start understanding our services, they can focus on enjoying themselves with their guests, since everything else is taken care of

by Hopping Chef ’s team. Today, if you go to a restaurant to dine with your family and friends and spend time with them, the meal is done within an hour and you will end up paying around INR 3000 to INR 5000 per person. How can that even be pleasurable?

But won’t they have to pay a premium for Hopping Chef ’s services?

■ We want to bring back the art of dining and make our guests feel like royalty again and are priced more

This aside, every Hopping Chef staff member is vetted so our client’s safety concerns are taken care of.

Because we are an internet based company, our menu is online so people can choose the chef and then call our concierge service.

“Since launching our services in November 2014, we have already organised 30 events, and have 30% repeat customers” – Shaival Chandra

Are there many takers for this convenient luxury?

■ Since launching our services in November 2014, we have already organised 30 events, and have 30% repeat customers. I think that once people realise the value of what we are offering, these numbers will keep going up.

We know it is a long tough road ahead, but we are not in a hurry.

CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 61

dishes, so our customers can see the level of finesse and the skill they possess and can bring to the table, literally!

Most chefs work in controlled environments. When you send them to a guest’s home where everything is alien, does it not create chaos?

■ Our chefs are seasoned professionals who can cook in any type of kitchen. Of course, they carry some basic implements when they go to a client’s house. Plus, we have training sessions at our prep kitchen in Mumbai.

“We tell our guests that if they want someone to just come and heat pre-cooked food in their kitchen, that is not us” – Shaival Chandra

We don’t have a marketing person on board because we are not marketing ourselves. Instead, we are trying to educate people about how they can enjoy good food. That is why we came up with a YouTube channel where we have videos of our chefs cooking their signature 62 | CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015

I am keen on finding young talent and moulding them. We are a nation of a billion people who are crazy about food and yet we don’t have more than a couple of Michelin-star chefs. Hopping Chef will visit culinary colleges and harness the young talent there and get them on board so that they can showcase their skills. We already have senior chefs on board who can mentor them.

Moulding young chefs is easy, but handling the egos of seasoned chefs is another thing, isn’t it?

■ You are right about that. Once, I was at a party in the US where Michelin-star Chef Jean Georges Vongerichten was managing the kitchen. He himself cooked the meal and later cleaned the cooking area.

Our Indian chefs don’t want to do all that. So, we have a no-ego hassles policy when we sign up a chef.

Luckily, chefs who associate with us know they can make more money by hosting a couple of private events than they would earn slogging for a month at a restaurant.

We have cases where a client said they expected a particular dish cooked a certain way. When a client does not like something, our chefs have gone the extent of taking it off the menu and not charging them for that dish.

Then again, there are times when a client does not like a particular dish when it is served and our chef immediately serves them an alternate, because we are always prepared for one such eventuality. So, our chefs can deal with difficult customers or unusual demands without batting an eyelid.

What is your plan for Hopping Chef going ahead?

■ Currently, we offer 17 cuisines, covering Asian, European and Mediterranean food. We plan to add more cuisines, especially regional Indian cuisines and are identifying good chefs in this food.

But I don’t want to rush into this.

When we began Hopping Chef we identified 175 chefs to work with and finally took only 7 on board. So, you can imagine the number of food trials, tastings and brand compatibility we invest in for each chef we bring on board. We also want to expand our network to Bangalore and Delhi in the next couple of years. ■

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HEALTH

FAQ

by vinita bhatia

GET MOVING, GET ACTIVE, THE Getting healthy the holistic way is possible only if you balance an active lifestyle with a diet that HOLISTIC comprises active food. Don’t worry, this is not another call to give up the foodstuff you like. it is adopting a diet plan where you WAY Instead, ‘indulge’ in healthy foods, in the true sense of the word.

Y

ou have probably heard the saying that if you want to stay fit, take a closer look at what is on your plate. Of course, you need to have an active lifestyle, but the best of workouts will fail unless it is complemented with the right kind of diet. Usually, our diet focuses on macronutrients only like fats, carbohydrates or proteins, which are important for our wellbeing. However, have you spared a thought about including active food into your food intake?

flaxseed as well as probiotic yoghurt, which supplies useful bacteria in abundance.

Active foods include micronutrients and high-fibre whole grains that have low-glycemic index and are rich in antioxidants. The term is used by nutritionists to categorise foods based on their nutritional values.

Often confused with plant-based foods, active food include ingredients that are high in fibre, antioxidants and phytochemicals, and low on the hypoglycaemic index, and goes beyond using fruits and vegetables.

It focuses on complex carbohydrates like walnut,

AN ACTIVE FOOD DIET Since active food products are like energy powerhouses, they keep you more active throughout the day and can even prevent medical conditions such as raised cholesterol, asthma, Type 2 diabetes, etc. “Another benefit of including active food in your diet is that you get the nutritients in their purest form. Since Active foods are whole food, these are not processed with their characteristics artificially modified like any

64 | CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015

Fitness expert and trainer, Neeraj Mehta points out that active foods are a rich source of nutrition and are also considered as BMR-driven foods as they boost up your metabolic process, ensuring the proper functioning of your digestive system. Active foods like broccoli, also strengthen your immunity system to prevent various diseases.

SOME ACTIVE FOODS AND THEIR HEALTH BENEFITS ■■ ALMONDS: Lower cholesterol ■■ BEETROOT: Lowers blood pressure and fights cancer ■■ BROCCOLI: Reduces chances of cataracts ■■ CINNAMON: Lowers blood glucose and cholesterol ■■ OATS: Keeps Type 2 diabetes under control ■■ POMEGRANATES: Neutralize free radicals ■■ KIDNEY BEANS: Contain iron and magnesium and improve blood circulation ■■ SPINACH: Lowers age-related macular degeneration other canned food or processed food,” adds Neeraj. In short, it is eating food the way nature intended us to, straight from the source without the inclusion of any chemicals.

Sadly, though, due to the fastpaced life that many of us lead, our dietary habits have become the biggest casualty. Eating junk food on-the-go, eating too much canned food, eating at odd hours – all these are the main culprits for lifestyle diseases like obesity, hypertension, diabetes, etc.

But you can reverse it by adopting healthy eating habits. “Start by including seasonal fruits and active foods such as broccoli, oats, curd, raspberries and lean meat in your daily diet. Switch from coffee and carbonated drinks to coconut water or fruit juices. If you must have tea, then try green or black tea. Snack on dry fruits such as almonds or walnuts instead of bis-

cuits and chips whenever you are hungry,” Neeraj suggests. He also recommends eating smaller meals five times a day instead of four large meals.

TASTY AND HEALTHY Most people steer away from healthy food because they consider it to be too bland or boring. But it is a myth that following a healthy diet means you have to eat tasteless food. Why not bite into tasty fruits such as blueberries, apples or oranges that are high on fiber and taste fabulous? And when you cook vegetables like spinach, use spices like black pepper, cardamom or cinnamon to heighten its flavours without affecting its nutritional value.

Chef K Natarajan, Corporate Chef of The Gateway Hotels & Resorts adds that one should focus on doing away with refined, polished white starch completely and max-

imise the usage of whole grains and millets in their daily cooking.

“Replace the commercial cornflakes with homemade muesli as it gets digested slower and keeps the glycemic value low,” he adds.

Like Neeraj, he too advocates that one should use spices and herbs liberally, especially homemade spice mixes, to enhance the flavour of produce. “Also opt for steam cooking for vegetables and starch, which is very healthy,” he advises.

He has shared the recipes of some of the dishes that can be made with active foods, which shows that they are anything but bland or uninteresting!

Ultimately, you are what you eat.

And in our fast-paced existence, sluggishness is not an option anymore. So, make up your mind to have an active lifestyle, with the inclusion of active foods in your diet. After all, the body achieves what the mind decides. ■ CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 65

HEALTH

FAQ

recipes

Oven Roasted Tomato and Bell Pepper Soup

The creaminess of the bell peppers and the tanginess of the slow roasted tomatoes downplays the healthiness of this soup. Not that you would mind, especially when your family queues up for a second helping! { INGREDIENTS } 200 gm tomatoes, sliced 1 tsp olive oil 100 gm red bell peppers 1 tbsp butter 2 tsp garlic, chopped

20 gm onion, chopped 10 gm celery, chopped 10 gm leeks, chopped 20 gm carrot, diced 1 sprig of thyme

300 ml vegetable stock Salt and black pepper, to taste ½ tsp Parmesan cheese, grated ½ tsp chives

{ METHOD } 1. Preheat oven to 200°C. 6. Add the bell peppers along with a sprig of thyme 2. Layer the tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle and roasted tomatoes. Continue to sauté till the the olive oil over it. Bake for 30 minutes in the tomatoes are soft.

oven.

7. Add vegetable stock and simmer, till cooked.

3. Roast the red peppers over a gas stove till black. 8. Let it cool and then puree in a blender.

Wrap immediately in cling film and leave to cool. 9. Return to the pan and adjust the consistency 4. Once cooled, rub with the cling film till the skin with stock.

is peeled and roughly chop the roasted pep10. Strain the soup through a sieve. pers.

11. Check the seasoning and garnish with Parmesan 5. Melt butter in a thick bottomed pan. Sauté garlic, cheese and chives. onion, celery, leeks and carrot.

Recipe courtesy Chef K Natarajan, Corporate Chef of The Gateway Hotels & Resorts * Serves: 2 * Preparation: 10 minutes Setting Time: 45 minutes

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HEALTH

FAQ

recipes

Broccoli With Caramelized Onions & Pine Nuts

Broccoli often gets a bad rep because people presume it will taste awful. Try this recipe and prove them wrong. { INGREDIENTS } 3 tbsp pine nuts or almonds, slivered 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 medium sized onion, chopped Salt, to taste 4 cups broccoli florets

2 tsp balsamic vinegar Freshly ground pepper, to taste

{ METHOD } 1. Toast nuts on a skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until lightly browned and fragrant. This should take around 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer to a small bowl to cool.

2. Place a pan over medium heat and heat oil. SautĂŠ onion with salt, stirring occasionally, until soft

and golden brown.

3. Meanwhile, steam broccoli for around 5 minutes until just tender. Transfer to a large bowl.

4. Add the nuts, onion, vinegar and pepper and toss to coat.

5. Serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy Chef K Natarajan, Corporate Chef of The Gateway Hotels & Resorts * Serves: 2 * Preparation: 10 minutes Setting Time: 30 minutes

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HEALTH

FAQ

recipes

Smoked Salmon and Basil Pesto Bruschetta

As exotic as this preparation sounds, we assure you it is quite easy to prepare. Of course, it is even easier to gulp it down quickly given its amazing flavours! { INGREDIENTS } 40 gm tomatoes, roasted, skinned and diced 30 gm basil pesto 4 French baguette slices

10 ml olive oil 10 gm garlic, chopped 60 gm rocket lettuce 20 gm smoked salmon slices

10 gm sundried tomatoes

{ METHOD } 1. Marinate roasted tomatoes in basil pesto and keep aside.

2. Toast baguette slices by applying olive oil and garlic.

3. Place lettuce on the slices and keep the roasted tomato mixture on it. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil; garnish with sun dried tomatoes.

4. Roll slices of smoked salmon over it.

Recipe courtesy Chef K Natarajan, Corporate Chef of The Gateway Hotels & Resorts * Serves: 2 * Preparation: 10 minutes Setting Time: 20 minutes

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HEALTH

FAQ

recipes

Blueberry Buttermilk Panna Cotta

This creamy dessert is hard to resist. But then why should you resist, filled as it is with the goodness of buttermilk and blueberries? { INGREDIENTS } 70 gm blueberries 400 ml heavy cream 30 gm honey

80 gm sugar 100 ml buttermilk 8 gm gelatin

Few drops of vanilla essence

{ METHOD } 1. Puree the blueberry.

2. Cook it in a pan, on low flame, to reduce it to a thick consistency. Allow it to cool to room temperature.

3. Boil cream, honey and sugar together and let it return to room temperature.

4. Soak gelatine in water and then melt it in a double boiler.

5. After 30 minutes, add buttermilk, melted gelatin

and vanilla to the above milk mixture.

6. Spoon a small amount of blueberry puree to the bottom of each serving glass, then carefully pour the pannacotta mixture over the blueberry puree and refrigerate it for 6 hours.

7. Before serving, take out the pannacotta and place a fresh blueberry on top as garnish. Serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy Chef K Natarajan, Corporate Chef of The Gateway Hotels & Resorts * Serves: 2 * Preparation: 6 hours Setting Time: 40 minutes

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HEALTH

FAQ

adulterated food

Did You Just Bite Into An Adulterated Ladoo?

Festivals and sweets go hand in hand in India. But how can you be sure that the box of gujia or burfi that you bought from your local sweetmeat shop does not contain adulterated fare? Dr Saurabh Arora, Founder of Food Safety helpline and Food Safety Mobile App tells how you can check whether the sweetmeat that you purchase is tainted, and penalties the government has laid down for those found guilty of not following FSSAI Act’s norms.

M

ost Indians celebrated the festival of colours a few days ago with much fervor and fanfare, especially in northern India. And as with any Indian festival, the celebration could not have been complete without sweets. While Holi is a time for merriment and feeding each other sweet delicacies, especially those bought from a shop, did you know that you also need to be alert about what you eat?

A wide variety of sweets available these days, like Gujia, Lavang Latika or Khoya Burfi, have bright colours

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and interesting shapes designed to catch our eye and satisfy our taste buds. Gujia is a sweet dumpling made with sooji or maida and stuffed with khoya. Sometimes, saffron is added to enhance its yellow colour.

Since saffron is expensive, the chances are high that the Kesar Gujia you happily purchased is adulterated.

TASTING TIMES Confused how to check whether the gujia you are feeding your child is impure? Here is a quick way to check its authenticity. Whenever you buy branded sweetmeats, check the batch number, manufacture

date, expiry date, food license number, as well as ISI or AGMARK certifications on the packaging. Also, make sure that the packaging has not been tampered with. This is one of the best preventive steps you can take.

in extra capital, unscrupulous sweetmeats merchants mix unhealthy additives to enhance a product’s colour, texture or taste. This is especially during festivals, when more people buy mithai for personal consumption or gifting.

Paneer, khoya and milk are generally adulterated with starch to give a thick and rich texture to sweets made from it. To check for the presence of starch mixed with khoya, take a small sample, mix it with water and bring the mixture to a boil. Allow it to cool and add two drops of iodine in the solution. If the solution turns blue, then it has been adulterated with starch.

Always taste or smell the sweets before buying in bulk. Stale products emit a musty smell and taste slightly sour. Before purchasing sweets, you should also make sure that the shopkeeper is trustworthy.

Most people are unaware that a law prohibiting adulteration actually exists in India. The Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 (FSSAI) safeguards the consumer against misbranded food, sub-standard food and food containing extraneous matter by keeping provision of penalties. If a food product is found unsafe then the food business operator can be levied a maximum fine of INR 10 lakh along with an imprisonment, which may extend even up to a life-term.

Thandai, a milk based summer drink that is synonymous with Holi, is an exotic mix of spices, nuts and full fat milk. Many ingredients that go into its making can be subject to adulteration, particularly during Holi when demand for it increases. Synthetic colours and flavors are used in such drinks, which may not be allowed under the food safety regulations due to their harmful effects. Therefore, it is advisable to buy the ingredients from a reliable retailer and prepare this traditional drink at home.

At the end of the day, it is up to you to save yourself and your family from becoming victims of food adulteration. A little caution goes a long way, when it comes to celebrating festivals the safe way!

As told to Vinita Bhatia

PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE, ALWAYS To reduce their cost of production and avoid putting

Pay close attention to the hygiene standards of the sweet shop, and the food handlers there, while buying sweets. Look out for the following: ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■

■■ ■■

Are food handlers wearing dirty clothes?

Are they wearing not gloves while packing sweets?

Are they chewing, or smoking, tobacco?

Are they touching their mouth, nose, eyes or other body parts while doing their job?

Are they spitting, sneezing, or coughing near food?

Are they handling food and money simultaneously?

If the answer is yes to any, or all, of the above, it is advisable not to buy the products from that outlet as some food contamination might have taken place.

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TRIED & TASTED

VINITA BHATIA

... AND DINNER IS SERVED

iChef.in promises to take the drudgery out of cooking. You select any of the dishes on their website and the company delivers all the ingredients, measured and tagged, required for cooking it, to your doorstep. Sounds like a breeze for those who do not have the time or patience to buy each ingredient. And it also helps if you want to try out a dish, but don’t want to stock specific ingredients that you are unlikely to use repeatedly.

CaLDRON Magazine enlisted two people – a homemaker and a bachelor – to prepare a dish each from the brand’s menu. Both loved their respective end product, though both felt that for the amount of time it took to cook each dish, it is simpler and faster to just order takeaway.

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MANISHA SHARMA, 28 HOMEMAKER

A

s mother to a 9-year old, time is a very luxurious commodity for Manisha Sharma.

There was a time when she would experiment with various cuisines in her kitchen, but the demands of motherhood have all but negated her enthusiasm to try anything other than the easy to put together dal-chawal-roti. Whenever her husband or she want to eat something out of the ordinary, they order food from a local restaurant.

recipe called for preheating the oven to 220°C and later mentioned that the lasagne be baked at 225°C. “If you are a beginner, you might end up making some mistakes because the recipes are not precise,” Manisha noted. She was a little disappointed that the produce was pretty ordinary, especially the processed cheese; she expected Parmesan or Mascarpone.

While the final product was much appreciated by her husband, Manisha realised that iChef.in’s recipes are not something you can rustle up in a rush. After devoting close to an hour for just one dish, she concluded that takeaway was a much better option. ■

The idea of having a company pick out all the ingredients, leaving her to assemble the dish brought on a beatific smile on Manisha’s face when we told her about iChef.in She chose Pesto Lasagna from the brand’s online menu, which incidentally changes every week. Having prepared different types of pasta regularly before her son’s birth, she could not wait to try it out again.

The cloth woven bag containing all the ingredients needed for the lasagne won Manisha’s approbation.

The recipe card contained a photo and mention of all elements packed, but she pointed out that the quantities were not mentioned alongside each item. “What if I liked the recipe so much that I wanted to make it again without iChef.in? Without the quantities, it will be too much guesswork,” she said.

The pictorial depiction of the recipe was much appreciated, but by the end of the experiment, she had learnt one lesson, which is a basic thumb rule of cooking someone else’s recipe – read the instructions thoroughly before you begin. She was a little confused when the recipe mentioned ‘Slice the potatoes’ because she was unsure how thick the slices ought to be.

Manisha also rued that the time for cooking the lasagne sheets was not mentioned, with the result that it ended up overcooked. Ditto with the time required to marinate the vegetables in pesto. At one point the

Value for money: Price: INR 350 Time taken: 50 minutes Pro: Neat packaging and labelling Con: Too much effort for a single dish CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 77

iCHEF.IN

TRIED & TASTED

SKIP IF IN A RUSH

iCHEF.IN

TRIED & TASTED

GREAT FOR AVID COOKS PATRICK D’SOUZA, 26 ADVERTISING PROFESSIONAL

A

s a bachelor staying by himself, Patrick D’Souza eats most of his meals at the office canteen or a restaurant. He would not call himself a great cook, but can manage to rustle up some variants of rice, vegetables and gravies, “without having to keep the doctor on speed-dial” as he says.

He was intrigued about iChef.in having heard of similar service providers from his friends. He chose the Chicken Ragout since he has cooked pasta with good results and for a novice cook, the margin for error with this dish was minimal.

Patrick appreciated the neat packaging and labelling of the ingredients as well as the description of the recipe. He was however piqued that the produce did not come chopped and he had to do it. “If iChef.in had done the cutting and chopping, it would have saved me a good 15 minutes and a whole lot of mess,” he said. He also pointed out that if the company only took the shopping for ingredients out of the cooking equation, how difficult could it be for him to call his vegetable seller or grocer and have them deliver all the items to his home?

He also pointed out that though the recipe was for two people, the quantity of pasta was not enough for even one person; especially someone with a hearty appetite. He was mollified only by the taste of the dish, especially the ragout sauce, which he claimed put any bottled variety to shame.

To sum it up, Patrick felt that there was too much effort involved in preparing a dish. “And the cleaning up is not a picnic either,” he grumbled. The only time he would resort to iChef.in would be when he wants to impress a date with a meal he has made by himself.

For everything else, there is always the local bar, he quips! ■

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Value for money: Price: INR 350 Time taken: 40 minutes Pro: Pictorial depiction of recipe Con: relatively time consuming and messy

W

orking professionals share a love-hate relationship with their lunchboxes.

Those who love it can’t wait to open their fondly packed tiffins bursting with the comforting aromas of home cooked food.

The haters hate it because they have to resort to mediocre meals served at the office canteen or a local restaurant.

Tiffin service providers have tried to fill in this vacuum but often failed. The food is usually tasteless, the packaging tacky and it gives an overall feeling of indifference packaged in a box.

Mumbai’s Shree Trikutaa Square Meals believes it can put the warmth back in packaged meals with Chadaro, short for ‘chawal’, ‘dal’ and ‘roti’. Their confidence stems from their belief that the simply prepared meal is as close as it gets to home cooked food.

The company offers vegetarian breakfast and five types of meal services ranging from INR 70 for the executive thali to INR 160 for a premium thali. The difference in the selections is the number of vegetables, side dishes and desserts included. Customers can opt for various packages starting from a 10-day trial to monthly, quarterly, half yearly and annual options.

GOOD PRESENTATION, LACKLUSTRE TASTE We tried some of Chadaro’s offerings, including the breakfast tray which had Upma and Coconut Chutney. The chutney was exactly how we made it at home, with some chunky coconut pieces making their errant presence felt, while the stray bits of roasted cashewnuts in the upma made it very agreeable.

The meals are packed in convenient spill-proof plastic trays with separate containers for each dish and a thin foil covering them to capture their warmth. In terms of convenience and presentation, we would give Chadaro 9 out of 10. However, when it comes to taste, we felt the food was more attuned to the mild tastes of non-Indians, since it was very low on spice. The dal was very watery, making it difficult to eat with either roti or rice. The vegetable preparations were uninspired, while the salad was a few slices of drying cucumber and carrots.

While Chadaro lived up to its motto of delivering fresh food, it should improve the taste quotient of its offerings. Else it is back to the boring office canteen fare for its clientele. ■

Chadaro's deluxe thali

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CHADARO

Chadaro delivers tiffins in convenient, spill-proof packaging, but it needs to work on the flavour profile of its food.

TRIED & TASTED

HIGH ON PRESENTATION, LOW ON TASTE

ASK Does cooking often seem daunting? Let us help you! Send us your THE questions about food and cooking and we will get chefs of leading EXPERTS hotels to share their wisdom on how to make that dish, perfect.

While making gravy for Punjabi recipes, one has to use a lot of tomatoes. I want to know what is the best way to use tomatoes – should I grate them with the skin, chop them or make puree in the mixer? Also, I want to know how the taste is influenced by each of these cooking techniques.

Megha Goyal, Mumbai Usually, each recipe calls for different cooking techniques for vegetables. Whenever you chop, dice, slice or make a puree, it affects the cooking as the cell structure of the vegetable changes with each technique.

If you want smooth gravies, cut the tomatoes in half, boil covered in minimum amount of water, cool, remove skin and then make a puree. Strain the seeds out.

You can refrigerate this tomato puree and use when required.

Is it possible to steam momos in a microwave? I have tried steaming it in an idli maker and then microwaved it. But they always turn out hard as stones!

Meenal Upadhyay, Glasgow Momos are best cooked in a steamer as a microwave will never give good results. Resteam if you need to reheat. But ideally no reheating or re-steaming should be done. The original softness will still be affected.

I have Amul butter and I want to make buttercream to pipe cupcakes. Can you tell me how to make buttercream and also will it continue to hold shape if I keep the cupcakes in the open? Do I need to refrigerate the buttercream and pipe it when I intend to use it? Also, for how long can I store this buttercream?

Digna Nikunj Bardoliwala, Surat You need unsalted butter for butter cream. Most butter available in retail market (including Amul) have salt content, which affects the taste of butter cream.

If you cannot find unsalted butter and if your taste permits, go ahead with the salted version as it will not affect anything else other than taste.

Once butter cream is made, it should be kept in a cool and dry place like an airconditioned room. This way, it can be kept easily for 2-3 days. Keeping butter cream in the open will turn it soft, making it melt while using. Refrigerating will cause it to harden and will not allow you to pipe it.

I want to make a cheesecake, but I have never gotten around to it because one of the ingredients mentioned in the recipe is cream cheese. I do not get cream cheese where I live. Is there any other substitute for cream cheese and can you give me a cheesecake recipe using that substitute?

Apoorva Sharma, Bangalore Unfortunately, you will need cream cheese for a baked cheesecake.

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Sometimes, the chicken we buy in a cold storage is very hard, especially the frozen variety. Someone told me that if you marinate the chicken in vinegar it turns juicy and tender. Is this true? If yes, how does it work and how much vinegar should I use in the marinade and how long should I soak the chicken in it?

Karthekha Gobinath, Bangalore Always buy broiler chicken. Even if frozen, it turns out to be soft. If you need to soften the chicken, add some pineapple puree – about 2 tablespoons for a kilo of chicken – and keep for about 20 minutes. The sweetness of pineapple will vanish while cooking.

How can one acquire the dark brown colour that one sees in gravies that we eat in restaurants? I usually roast the onions and tomatoes and later on, grind it. But I still do not get the right hue. Can you suggest how to get perfect consistency and colour as well as taste?

Rupal Ralph, Bangalore Slice the onions, deep fry in hot oil till golden brown and crisp. Be careful not to overcook as the onions will keep cooking even after removing from oil. If the onions’ colour is golden when you remove them, they will turn slightly brown while cooling.

Grind with a little water to make the base for your gravy.

You can also make tomato puree like I have explained to Megha Goyal earlier and use a combination of the puree and browned onion to reach your desired colour of gravy.

ASK THE EXPERTS

CHEF SALIL FADNIS

Chef Salil Fadnis started his culinary career as a kitchen executive at Oberoi Hotels more than 15 years ago. After 7 years, he moved to Renaissance Mumbai Hotel & Convention Centre as Banquet Chef before being appointed as Executive Chef at Goa Marriott Resort. He later moved to Neptune Hotels in Kenya to learn how kitchens are operated in other countries before returning to India to join Sahara Star, where he is now the Executive Chef.

There are so many types of cheese available in the market for different purposes with different tastes like mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan, cheese spread, etc. I want to know what cheese can be used for which purpose. Can I use parmesan on a pizza or pasta sauce? Are there any rules about which cheese can be used for a particular recipe?

Anjana Arora, New Delhi Traditionally, each cheese is meant for a different purpose – like mozzarella for pizza, parmesan for cooking Italian dishes, cheese spread for sandwiches, while the versatile cheddar can be used almost everywhere. But you can very well use parmesan on pizza or a 50-50 combination of cheeses in other dishes. Add salt according to the taste of cheeses. Parmesan will be saltier while mozzarella is light on salt.

I have tried red velvet cake at different places and the taste keeps changing. So what is the exact taste of red velvet cupcake supposed to be? Should it be a little sour or less sweet? Please also share a recipe for eggless red velvet cake.

The taste of red velvet will depend on the frosting used to layer the cake. Some use cream, others use cream cheese. I prefer Mascarpone cheese, which gives it a very creamy texture without making it too sweet.

Sucheta Sachdeva, New Delhi Preserving whole strawberries is not recommended. Instead, you can cut them in pieces, lightly cook in butter and then freeze along with the liquid that is released. The fruit loses its sweetness after cooking so you could sugar at this stage or while using it later.

It is possible to make spongy eggless cakes? I have noticed that cakes with eggs are much fluffier than the eggless ones. Is there a trick to bake really soft eggless cakes?

Hina Rajawat, Jaipur Homemade eggless cakes will be heavy and dense as compared to those using egg. You can always use the readymade cake mixes instead.

Can you share some tips on how to cook faster in clay pots? I once cooked biryani in a clay pot on a gas burner but it took a long time.

What are some quick dishes that one can cook in a clay pot?

Vee Delta, Bangalore Clay pots are meant for slow cooking over wood or charcoal.

Only then is the aroma of clay pots released. Almost everything could be prepared in clay pots including biryanis and gravies.

C

old-pressed 'Hass' avocado oil has been described as having an avocado flavor, with grassy and butter/mushroom-like flavors.

Other varieties may produce oils of slightly different flavor profile as has been seen with ‘Fuerte,' which has been described as having more mushroom and less avocado flavor. As a culinary oil, avocado oil compares well with olive oil. It has a similar monounsaturated fat profile which helps to protect the oil from breakdown during heating. Avocado oil is naturally low acidic, helping to increase smoke point. Both unrefined and refined avocado oil can safely be used to conduct almost any high heat cooking application including baking, stir-fry, deep-fry, sear, barbecue, roast and saute. It is high in monounsaturated fats and vitamin E. Avocado oil also enhances the absorption of carotenoids and other nutrients.

Chef Atul Shanker Mishra of the Royal Plaza Hotel highly recommends it, saying, " Bring a whole new flavour in your kitchen with extra virgin avocado oil, it's rich taste will not only enhance the flavour of your dish but will also be a powerhouse to your health."

Olivado Extra Virgin Avocado Oil imported by Kira Food Products Pvt. Ltd., is available from Amazon India (INR 1890 for 500ml).

Though the oil is quite expensive, Indian prices appear to be lower than those abroad and the oil itself may be a healthier alternative to others we regularly use.

TEXT PORTIONS BY WIKIPEDIA

Sweta Ojha, Kolkata

Strawberries are in season and I want to use them all year through.

What is the best way to store strawberries for longer periods of time so that I can use it for cakes or as dessert, like in a sauce?

CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 81

EVENTS

BY TEAM CALDRON

Belvedere Vodka Unveils ‘Know The Difference’ At Milan Fashion Week The campaign photographed and directed by fashion photographer Ellen Von Unwerth is aimed at those who know the difference between a regular night out and an extraordinary night out. the camera, Ellen’s signature style shone through these photographs as she perfectly portrayed Belvedere’s confident and spontaneous personality in a refined and vibrant aesthetic that is completely identifiable as Ellen’s craft.

The photos on display

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“Belvedere Vodka gave me the opportunity in truly letting my creative vision and expression roam free to interpret their values and their world,” said Ellen. “The results were highly fun and irreverent photographs that I feel embodied Belvedere’s wit, sophistication and elegant yet edgy style.”

elvedere Vodka unveiled Lucchini, Linda Tol, Winonah De its new ‘Know the Differ- Jong, Natasha Stefanenko, Paolo “Belvedere is a vodka with characStella, Carlo Mazzoni, Guido ence’ advertising camter. It is a statement of style, subpaign, photographed and Taroni and Ivan Olita. stance and confidence. Authentic directed by avant-garde and naturally smooth, it is the AN ARTISTIC ALLIANCE fashion photographer Ellen von luxury vodka of those who are in Unwerth during Milan Fashion Photographed in Buenos Aires, the know” remarked Charles Gibb, Argentina, this campaign featured Week. Fashion industry influencPresident of Belvedere Vodka. ers joined Charles Gibb, Presia glamorous group of urban so“Teaming up dent of Belvedere with Ellen von Photographed in Buenos Aires, Argentina, this campaign Vodka and Ellen to Unwerth for featured a glamorous group of urban sophisticates, both celebrate the artisthe ‘Know the men and women, plugged into pop culture, enjoying life tic partnership that Difference’ with class, optimism and a touch of boldness. was aimed at those campaign, was who know the the perfect difference between a regular night phisticates, both men and women, ingredient to toast to those who out and an extraordinary night plugged into pop culture, enjoying believe in the strength of audacity life with class, optimism and a out. Notable guests in attendance and the value of authenticity”. ■ included Barbara and Eleonora touch of boldness. Globally recogBerlusconi, Carla Sozzani, Cristina nized for her unique vision behind

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EVENTS

BY TEAM CALDRON

Bangkok’s Gaggan crowned The S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Asia Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, revealed the 2015 list of winners at an awards ceremony at Capella Hotel, Singapore. New Delhi-based Indian Accent was voted the best restaurant in India.

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ow in its 3rd year, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna, revealed the 2015 list of best culinary destinations in the continent at Singapore’s Capella Hotel recently, where Indians rocked the party!

Indian Accent won ‘The S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in India’ and the country was also represented by Wasabi by Morimoto (No 29) and Bukhara (No 41).

Kolkata-born Chef Gaggan Anand earned dual honours, including the ‘The S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Asia’ and ‘The S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Thailand’ titles.

China scored 16 restaurants on the list, followed by Singapore and Japan with 10 and eight respectively. The 2015 list featured eight new entries, including first-time entries from the Philippines (Antonio’s, No 48) and Cambodia (Cuisine Wat Damnak, No 50).

COUNTRY-WISE AWARDS Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet (No 3) in Shanghai was voted the best restaurant in China, while Chef Richard Ekkebus of Amber won

• • • • •

the ‘Chefs’ Choice Award’ and Restaurant André (No 5) retained the title of ‘The S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Singapore’.

For a third consecutive year, Narisawa (No 2) Chef Gaggan Anand (Gaggan, Bangkok) receives the was named ‘The awards for The S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Asia and S.Pellegrino Best The S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Thailand.

Restaurant in Kong, Taiwan and Macau; mainJapan’. land China and Korea and finally Japan. Each region has a panel of Korea’s influence on Asia’s dining 53 members comprising food writscene is evident with two new ers and critics, chefs, restaurateurs entries, Ryunique (No 27) and La and highly regarded 'foodies'. Each Yeon (No 38), the latter earning panelist has seven votes, of which the ‘One To Watch’ award, sponthree must be used to recognise sored by Peroni Nastro Azzurro. restaurants outside of the voter’s Chef Jungsik Yim’s flagship Seoul restaurant, Jungsik, earned the title home country. of ‘The S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Korea’.

Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants is created by The Diners Club Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, which is divided into six voting regions – India & Subcontinent; South-East Asia – South and North; Hong

William Drew, Group Editor of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, said, “Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants aims to celebrate success, reward innovation and hard work, and provide diners with guidance on the greatest places to eat across the continent.” ■

Asia’s Best Pastry Chef: Chef Hajime Yoneda Highest New Entry Award: Chef Tony Lu of Fu He Hui One To Watch: La Yeon in Seoul Chefs’ Choice Award: Chef Richard Ekkebus of Hong Kong’s Amber The Diners Club Lifetime Achievement Award: Chef Tetsuya Wakuda of Waku Ghin in Singapore CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 83

EVENTS

BY TEAM CALDRON

Heady Mix of Music, Wine, Fashion At SulaFest Around 11,000 people visited the 8th edition of SulaFest 2015, which saw an interesting lineup of musicians, restaurants and fun activities over the February weekend.

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lose to 11,000 people visited the SulaFest held on 7th and 8th February, 2015 at Sula Vineyard’s open-air amphitheater. Vero Moda launched its Spring Summer Collection 2015 at the fest, while many music bands and artists entertained the crowd. These included Young The Giant, Gentleman’s Dub Club, Will And The People, Yes Sir Boss, Speed Caravan, Lucky Ali, Swarathma, Bombay Bassment, Sandunes, and others. DJs, including Steve Rachmad, Peter Schumann, Sashanti&Mescalito, Ankytrixx, Raimund, Baba Robijn, Jewlung and Christ Burstein, spun some incredible house and techno.

Some of the well-known faces spotted at the SulaFest were Manasi Scott, Shriya Saran, Narendra

GREAT GOING Alexander Sashanti Sukhochev, Curator of Atmaspherestage at SulaFest was excited to see the turnout and remarked that it was a rocking fest. “How exciting it was to see so many beautiful atmas at the Atmasphere stage!” he added. Cecilia Oldne, Global Brand

Wine enthusiasts were also given guided tours of, and tastings at, the Tasting Room and the rustic Tasting Cellar.

Kumar, Shazahn Padamsee, Ashish Raheja, Prahlad and Mitali Kakkar, Jenny Rei, Ashok Kurien, Anil Dharker, Arjun Khanna, Aparna Badlani, Yash Birla, Amitabh Nanda, Sameer Malhotra, Malini Aggarwal, Isha Koppikar, Kim Sharma, to name a few.

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Ambassador, Sula Vineyards, was also happy that the 8th edition of SulaFest was sold out!

Spicing up the weekend was the SulaFest Bazaar with a selection of fun items for sale as well as exciting activities like foot massages, tarot reading and grape stomping.

Wine enthusiasts were also given guided tours of, and tastings at, the Tasting Room and the rustic Tasting Cellar.

Apart from wines from the vineyards of Sula, fest-goers also enjoyed other brands like Hardys, Asahi, Grant’s, Cointreau and Sierra Tequila. Restaurants like Café Zoe, Woodside Inn, Maroosh and Busago served up great food to go with the wine. At the recently launched Soleil by La Plage, Chef Morgan prepared a menu with organic produce from Sula’s very own farms, which offered a sitdown gourmet dining experience for the first time. As always, SulaFest went out to benefit local and national NGOs like iMAD, Sharan, PETA and Prabodhini. ■

POLLS

BY TEAM CALDRON

94% Young Indian Women Consider India a Safe Travel Destination: HolidayIQ On the occasion of International Women’s Day, HolidayIQ conducted a survey among 20,000 women across the country to understand if women thought India was a safe destination to travel. The answers were heartening, to say the least.

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he question ‘Do women feel safe to travel in the country?’ was aked by online travel destination, HolidayIQ, to over 20,000 women in India.

78% women of various agegroups across the country feel India is a safe place to travel, with 92% Mumbaikars giving it thumbs up, followed by 83% in Bangalore.

Hari Nair, Founder & CEO of HolidayIQ said that 2015 is the seminal year for solo women travellers. “We have been tracking a fair rise in this segment in the last four years, but the big spurt to 10%, will be witnessed in 2015 for the first time,” he noted.

This jump will give Indian tourism a shot in the arm, especially promoting the concept of weekend getaways and jungle lodges across India. Hopefully, womenfriendly concept hotels and specialized holiday packages will surface. “Meanwhile, the tourism industry must note, when women plan a holiday, they spend 15% more than

men. Not wanting travel to be an extension of the family, independence and the exposure that comes with it, has led to the rise of the solo woman traveller,” Hari added.

TRAVELLING COMPANIONS One question asked in the survey was who do women prefer travelling with. It appears that the trend of girl gangs travelling is one that’s catching-up with 18% voting for it. 25% still preferred to travel with their family while another 22% would rather hang out with friends. 13% said they would not mind going solo.

When it comes to safe destinations, 60% of women said they preferred beaches in Kerala, Goa, Andaman, Pondicherry and hill station holidays in Manali, Ooty, Nainital, Shimla or Coorg.

12% favoured holidaying in cities like Mumbai or Chennai while 8% chose jungle holidaying in Corbett, Ranthambore or Bandipur. ■

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SPIRITUAL INNOVATION

JASWINDER S INGH

Brewtails – A Tale Of Beer Cocktails Does the thought of a beer cocktail make you screw up your face in disgust? If yes, then you need to head to Beer Café and try their new beer cocktail menu called Brewtails. It is sure to give you a new perspective on beers.

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ost people would have at least one good story that begins with the word beer. Let’s face it – no good story could possibly begin with someone hitting a salad bar with his or her friends anyway.

I remember when I was old enough, and a known tippler among the cousins, the older boys would sneak us some beer at the weddings. They never believed that we could hold our beer, so we’d get it mixed in cola. Ah, those were the days. That was my first tryst with a rudimentary beer based cocktail. I never liked it, but then beggars can’t be choosers.

Fast forward to today, I believe that to be the beginning of my career in tasting drinks. Strangely though, between then and now, I’ve never come across cocktail concoctions with beer, at least until recently.

Beer Café, along with Monin, has launched a new beer cocktail menu that is sure to give you a new perspective on beers.

BEER COCKTAILs? REALLY? Beer is not an easy, or rather the first, choice for a cocktail drink.

Nor can it be classified as a chaser.

In fact, it sure would make Jerry Thomas turn in his grave to think of beer as a chaser. It’s supposed to be just beer, a relaxed drink

86 | CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015

that goes well with conversations and friends at a barbecue or in front of the television during a ball game.

Yet, Monin’s versions of beer cocktails at Beer Café work at so many different levels.

The initial menu of six cocktails, labeled as Brewtails, has something for every palate. There is the rather sweet Sweet Pepper to the balanced Beerijito and Beer Rita. All drinks use Monin’s fruit extracts and pair well with spicy starter fare at Beer Café.

However, some attention might be warranted in that department soon. The kebabs, shrimp satay and chicken wings had the right amount of spices, with almost the right flavors and textures, but seemed slightly dry, probably suffering from a mild bout of overcooking or overwarming that beer or beer cocktails may not be enough to offset.

BEER, A SOCIAL LUBRICANT Beer has a very strong culture of camaraderie around it in the western markets. It is seen as a social lubricant and has a mass appeal unmatched by any other drink, be it whiskey or wine. Beer cafés are

the neighborhood norm globally and rarely carry the tag of sophistication around them as propagated in India. Nor do they serve the purpose of getting sloshed in a pint that the average mass Indian audiences prefer.

With their third outlet in Gurgaon situated in the thick of the residential complexes, Beer Café is trying to set off a chain reaction that is likely to see the evolution of neighborhood beer taverns in some of the better established local markets in India like Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Bangalore. Only time will be the judge whether Beer Café succeeds in this endeavor or not.

Coming back to the cocktails though, priced between INR 285++ and INR 325++, the new menu will be available at all Beer Café outlets across the country.

The cocktails are definitely worth a try, but may need some amount of cajoling of the beer fan to move from his pint to pick up that cocktail glass. ■

SPIRITUAL QUEST

JASWINDER S INGH

On A Legendary Quest Rémy Martin is on a quest to trace the rarest Louis XIII decanters on earth. It will scour the globe till 31st March, 2015 to bring alive history and is urging fans to search their family cellars to see if they can uncover these treasures lying within.

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hile India is swept by a wave to claim all modern inventions as its own, right from space flight to nuclear weapons, there is one domain no one in India has yet laid claim to that probably can be attributed to as far back as the Indus Valley Civilization. It is that of viticulture.

Viticulture has a long history in India since the Indus Valley Civilization when grapevines were introduced to the region from Persia. According to historians, some Mughal rulers are known to have indulged regularly in wine, as did their courtiers. Mughal Emperor Jehangir was a known connoisseur of brandy and the famous poet from the court of Bahadur Shah Zafar (II), Mirza Ghalib proclaimed himself as ‘half Muslim’ for drinking wine, but not eating pork.

1881 when the first forty-five cases of Louis XIII cognac reached the port of Calcutta.

AN ENTIRE PIE OF HISTORY It may not have been around since the Indus Valley Civilization, but Rémy Martin has been witness to a lot of history. It has witnessed the French Revolution, the American Revolution and Civil War, two World Wars and countless other events that have shaped human history.

In a bid to connect with this heritage and celebrate its history in true Rémy Martin style, descendants of Paul Émile Rémy Martin who now run the company have embarked on a quest as legendary as the brand itself.

Rémy Martin is searching for those first bottles imported in Asia.

Seems like a tall order to look for bottles that were dispatched from the cellars in Cognac in 1881. But Around 1857 when Ghalib was the people at Rémy Martin are professing his love for wine to the confident of finding collectors British Colonel who arrested him of rare bottles who might have for being drunk and disorderly inherited one such bottle comin the streets of Delhi, a French plete with a certificate of original cognac house established by Paul product, box, stopper – the works. Émile Rémy Martin more than a Rémy Martin plans to showcase century ago in 1724 was planning these bottles at a special ceremony to bottle and ship its first conto be held at their headquarters in signment of Cognac Fine ChamCognac where the collectors will pagne to Asia. Their plans came to join them in the celebration of the fruition a couple of decades later in history of the brand.

The campaign by Rémy Martin aims to reach out to nearly 700,000 individuals and hopes to find around 250 bottles over a period of two months where collectors can share pictures of their bottles with the brand. Five finalists get to travel to Cognac, France to share the story of their bottles with the brand.

Having traveled to Cognac recently, we can say the lucky few that get the chance are in for a treat for the senses. Surrounded by rolling hills covered under a blanket of green, it is the classic setting of the French countryside that is all too well known around the world. Plantations of Ugni Blanc or Trebbiano dot the scenery for as far as the eye can see. It is this grape that yields the famous cognac of Cognac.

It works better for the collector if the bottle is not empty as they get an option to have their bottle replaced with a new one for their future generations to inherit. So far, one empty bottle has been located at a five-star establishment in India. We hope Rémy Martin finds what they are looking for and we get another story to share.

For the closet collectors of rare bottles in India, now may be a good time to look through the pile in that storage unit at home. ■

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MIX IT UP

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AS E TERN AL AS LOVE!

So what if Valentine’s Day was a month ago?

There is no reason you can’t pamper that special someone in your life who is the gin to your tonic, the lime to your tequila, the vodka to your martini.

Fix them a drink that will make them realise that they make your world go round, and how! All you need is some Kruto vodka and pointers from Naveen Kotyankar, Mixologist for Mir Spirits.

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MIX IT UP

Love Twist Love is in the air. And so are strawberries. Why not mix the two to make a cocktail that is hard to resist?

Serves: 1

INGREDIENTS 6 fresh strawberries, 1 more for garnish ½ tsp cane sugar 45 ml Kruto 15 ml Creme De Fraise or strawberry liqueur Crushed ice, as required Juice of ½ lime 30 ml apple juice 1 green chilli

METHOD: Muddle fresh strawberries with cane sugar.

Add Creme De Fraise or liqueur and Kruto and mix well.

Add cracked ice, apple juice and a light squeeze of lime juice.

Add a medium sized deseeded slit green chilli.

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and double strain into a sugar rimmed martini glass.

Garnish with fresh strawberry. * recipe and images courtesy: mir spirits *

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MIX IT UP

Brazilian Martini This cocktail is packed with style and the mild flavour of pomegranate punch.

Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS 1 green lime, cut into wedges 1 tsp brown sugar 50 ml Kruto vodka 60 ml pomegranate juice 1 tsp pomegranate seeds

METHOD: Muddle lime wedges and brown sugar.

Add Kruto vodka and rest of the ingredients with ice in a Boston shaker.

Shake well and double strain into a chilled martini glass.

Garnish with fresh pomegranate pearls and a lemon wedge. * recipe and images courtesy: mir spirits *

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MIX IT UP

Twisted Caipirinha This cocktail offers an unusual twist to the popular Brazilian cocktail with its vodka-brown sugar combination.

Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS 2 lemons 1 tsp brown sugar Cracked ice, as required 50 ml Kruto vodka 15 ml Midori 150 ml soda

METHOD: Muddle lemon wedges and brown sugar in a thick bottomed glass.

Add cracked ice, Kruto vodka and Midori.

Stir well and top up with a splash of soda. * recipe and images courtesy: mir spirits *

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MIX IT UP

Spiced Fresh Strawberry Caiprojca There is a chill in the air. Spice things up with some green chilli and mint leaves in a vodka cocktail.

INGREDIENTS ½ tsp grain sugar 12 fresh mint leaves 5 fresh medium sized strawberries, diced 2 lemon wedges 15 ml Monin strawberry 60 ml Kruto vodka 1 green chilli, slit and deseeded 2 cups cracked ice

METHOD: Muddle sugar and mint leaves in a mixing glass with a muddler.

Add lemon wedges and strawberries and muddle again.

Add Monin Strawberry, Kruto and green chilli.

Top up with cracked ice and mix well.

Pour into a heavy bottomed rock glass. Garnish with diced strawberries and a deseeded green chilli.

For extra heat, add a couple of dashes of Tabasco. * recipe and images courtesy: mir spirits *

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MIX IT UP

Eve's Fix This cocktail has many complex flavours. If you know someone who has complex layers to their personality, this is just the drink to make for them.

Serves: 1

INGREDIENTS 45 ml Kruto vodka 15 ml Kahlua 15 ml Hershey’s chocolate 30 ml fresh cream 10 ml Monin hazelnut

METHOD: Combine all ingredients in a Boston shaker.

Shake and strain into a chocolate-rimmed rock glass over ice.

Garnish with a chocolate or a cinnamon stick. * recipe and images courtesy: mir spirits *

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ROAMING ROVER PARUL PRATAP SHIRAZI

THE AUR A OF FEMIN IN ITY If the words French press, bathtub and Heavenly bed sound like music to your ears, you should head to the Aura Room at The Westin, Gurgaon.

These rooms have been designed for the increasing tribe of single women travellers, who want tranquillity, comfort, security and luxury.

Chances are, you will find it difficult to leave without making a promise to return soon!

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or the love of space, the love of pampering and the love of being made to feel special because you know you are and you deserve it! Those were our first thoughts when we entered the Aura Room at The Westin, Gurgaon. Specially developed and specially serviced for the single woman traveller, the Aura rooms are spacious and luxurious. Space is reinforced here and these are probably the largest rooms you will find in Gurgaon, especially for such a young property.

Having checked in as a mother-daughter duo, I was more concerned with privacy than safety and our pool facing room was all of that and more. The two-

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tone, Italian marble and wood-grain panelling on the wall lends an air of coolness to the room and the splashes of red with a silk duvet and a throw pillow are simply perfect.

For once, I was happy to see a room devoid of carpeting. From a hygiene perspective, it seems like a great idea and if you think it makes the room nippy, the temperature controls are there to be used!

LARGER THAN REALITY Strategically placed mirror panelling actually makes the ceiling seem higher, the walls seem farther, and the cafĂŠ au lait, faux leather bound couch chairs seem

ROAMING ROVER

THE WESTIN, GURGAON

AURA ROOMS AT THE WESTIN, GURGAON

The Lobby

so inviting for a mindless television binge. Better still, carry your favourite movies and use the inroom DVD player! There are jacks for LAN, USB and a whole bunch we didn’t care to understand but in terms of visual input/output, I assume you can have a DJ console and disco lights as well if you like.

But then we weren’t here for that, we were here for some much-needed R&R combined with excellent food and service to make us feel like superstars! We began our staycation weekend with an hour in the tub, which again is larger than those at most properties in the vicinity. Take a glass of wine with you if you like; the in-room bar has pint bottles of both Red and White.

Coming back to space, the sheer enormity of the washroom is again such bliss; a separate alcove for the toilet and a larger one for the

shower and tub allow multiple guests to use the facilities at the same time, so no grappling for loo time in the mornings. The bath supplies have always been our favourite, a Westin signature, the White Tea collection by the Heavenly Spa and yes we do care about little nuances, they add to the fun of a Staycation!

LAVISH FEASTS Start at The Westin, Gurgaon with a lavish lunch at Eest, the pan Asian kitchen. From Korean Bimimbap to Thai curries, the menu is exhaustive and you’re going to want to come back for more.

We went with the signature at Eest, the sushi and sashimi. Exceptionally fresh and wonderfully neat, the voluptuous Maki Rolls are a pleasure to look at as much as to eat. This is the ideal place for pork

as well. Whether you like Dim Sum or Double Cooked Pork Belly, you will walk away satiated to the core.

This lunch will require a siesta and that’s what the Heavenly bed is for.

Keep the early evening hours for the poolside, a serene space with an emphasis on wellness; the green environs are ideal for a book and a beer or a couple of laps if you want to prep for dinner.

The poolside café, Splash, is equipped to serve light snacks and beverages. Choose from wine or a milkshake and reinforce the sense of indulgent laziness. We chose a book and a beer and loved every minute. The Metro in the distance was the only reminder that we were in an urban city!

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ROAMING ROVER AURA ROOMS AT THE WESTIN, GURGAON

THE WESTIN, GURGAON

If you want to skip the gym then prepare for a royal feast at the all day dining, Seasonal Tastes. Dinner is buffet style, multi cuisine and fairly extravagant. Chef Khan is the man behind the Indian kitchen and his training in Hyderabadi cuisine makes for great home-style Indian food. In fact, if you order in your room, you can

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The two-tone, Italian marble and wood-grain panelling on the wall lends an air of coolness to the room and the splashes of red with a silk duvet and a throw pillow are simply perfect.

even choose home-style Indian food like Dal-Roti-Sabzi, which is ideal for business travellers who would rather eat light.

After a hearty round of desserts a walk around the property was a must; enjoy the balance of water,

nature and serenity before you head back for a night of ‘Sleep Well’! If the kids are old enough to be put to bed with a movie and a snack, then head to the all-new nightclub, Story.

Developed to create, appreciate and reminisce, Story is ideal for a nightcap. Don’t miss the classic cocktails and the bar snacks which go with them - the staff will be more than glad to take you through the Story journey with your favourite brew and if the weather allows, take the journey at the rooftop al fresco seating area and tank up under the stars!

Though the hotel has a bar as well, Mix is more for a business traveller looking to enjoy a Scotch over a quiet evening. For the happening sort, Story makes more sense!

MORE ON THE MENU Day 2 brings forth a whole new slew of options. If you’re with the kids then ask the Concierge for the Tuk Tuk to take you around the malls on the road the hotel is located on. Gurgaon’s famous MG Road has a plethora of shopping options and the branded Westin Tuk Tuk ride is a novelty that makes heads turn wherever you go.

If the kids are happy by the pool then book an appointment at the Heavenly Spa and ‘Feel Well’ within an hour. The Heavenly Spa is a signature for the property and is serviced by trained professionals who can knead your stress away in under 60 minutes.

THE WESTIN, GURGAON

STAY WELL The Westin takes the six brand pillars: Feel Well, Work Well, Move Well, Eat Well, Sleep Well and Play Well very seriously. Strategically placed tent cards and information bring together the importance of self-care whether you’re on a business trip or a family holiday. ‘Move Well’ is entirely possible at their state-of-the-art gym, equipped with plenty of workout space, gear on hire and instructors.

The pool

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THE WESTIN, GURGAON

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ROAMING ROVER

THE WESTIN, GURGAON

AURA ROOMS AT THE WESTIN, GURGAON

Mix, the lounge bar

This meal is likely to hit tea time, especially if you choose a couple of cocktails with your meal. Head back to your room to sleep off the cocktails and wake up fresh for another evening of culinary delights.

Now that all the kitchens have been experienced, it is so much easier to decide on a dinner destination.

If you’re an outstation stayPACKING IN A LOT After a hearty round cation-er, head out to see the The idea of planning your weekof desserts a walk sights. The closest to the propend staycation is to pack it in around the property erty is Gurgaon’s flagship enterwith all the feel-good services was a must; enjoy the tainment destination, Kingdom the property has to offer and balance of water, naof Dreams. Catch a desi musithis plan works out perfectly. All ture and serenity bethat pampering usually builds cal or enjoy a walk at Culture fore you head back for Gully; complete with a faux sky, an appetite and you still have a night of ‘Sleep Well’! the Italian kitchen left to experegional Indian food counters and a Bollywood theme bar, it’s rience. Welcome to Prego, the a great way to see India in one city’s favourite Italian eatery, a evening. Gurgaon being a corplace that’s packed on a weekend afternoon with a mix of in house guests and the city’s porate hub, even as a business traveller, a break from who’s who. the usual is more than welcome.

We always choose the Deep Tissue Massage, it is what every urban professional needs and it is the best way to add value to a staycation! The Salon comes next, treat your feet to a pedicure and have summer ready feet in no time, if you do not have the time for an entire makeover.

With Chef Emiliano at the helm you can be sure everything will be authentic, fresh and delicious. Housemade pastas, hand tossed pizzas and classic Italian mains make a concise yet inspiring menu. We recommend starting with a pizza, feel free to customize the topping. Prego is fun fine dining and there is nothing formal about the ambience or the experience.

This mother-daughter duo had a weekend packed with fun, food and frivolity. As much as I wished the property would bring back the Kids play area, the kid had plenty of fun. 5-star service coupled with excellent food will have any kid asking for more but our weekend was over at noon and we had to pack and leave. We however did so with a plan to come back and come back very soon! ■ CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 105

HEALTH NUT / DR. SUSHMA AYYALASOMAYAJULA

understanding anemia

I

see people, women, especially from the child-bearing age group, growing teenagers, and some men, who look and feel like they are carrying the burden of this world over their shoulders. They are constantly tired, irritable and exhausted. These are really very vague symptoms which could be attributed to a number of reasons. Often enough, we blame our lifestyle, work schedule, the pressures that life puts us through for this.

As these symptoms gradually creep up on us, we more or less get acclimatised to it, and feel that this is how life is in the present world, and we long for the leisure filled time of our days back in school.

Many of us may or may not have even considered the possibility that something that is extremely easily correctable may be a reason behind this.

Let me give my own example.

There was a time when I was working nearly 10 hours a day for most days of the week. I had to change a few trains to reach work, which meant I was not sleeping enough and waking up at ungodly hours, skipping meals, etc. Yes, I am a woman of child-bearing age

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Dr. Sushma Ayyalasomayajula explains anaemia and helps us understand its cause and how to prevent it.

group, which makes matters worse (if you know what I mean!). To top it, I knew what was wrong with me, but still, I was not making time to take care of my own health. The main reason for this was probably that it had gradually crept up on me, and I had become used to this as a way of life.

one of The most common causes in our part of the world for the Iron deficiency anaemia is blood loss for menstruating women

Guilty as charged! One day, I decided to go and have the blood test done, and no surprises for guessing. I was anaemic, both with Iron deficiency and extremely low B12 levels.

Why do we need Iron?

Our body makes millions of red

blood cells every day to keep replacing the old ones. One of the main responsibility of the red blood cells is to carry the oxygen from lungs to rest of the body. Red bloods cells mainly function because of a chemical, Haemoglobin, present in them, which works to its optimum when it has had enough iron to combine with, in its active form. So, the long and short of it is that if there is not enough Iron in the body, substandard care is being delivered by the red blood cells.

As care goes down over a period of time, the body develops symptoms like impaired concentration, exhaustion, irritability, breathlessness with minimal exertion, feeling faint, lethargy, headaches, tinnitus, palpitations, fragile and broken nails, hair loss, altered taste, sore mouth, etc.

The common causes in our part of the world for the Iron deficiency anaemia are blood loss for menstruating women, lack of enough dietary iron, pregnancy, hookworm infestation and overuse of certain non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers, or NSAIDs, as they are popularly known. can this be tested?

A simple blood test to check for your Haemoglobin, the colour and bounce of your red blood cells, and Ferritin or Iron level should help diagnose this. Most labs these days will give you the result the same day, if not within a few hours.

What can be done about it?

There is no dearth of ways in The recommended daily intake if the iron stores are not depleted are: Birth – 6 months 7-12 months 1-3 years 4-8 years 9-13 years Boys 14-18 years Girls 14-18 years Women 19-50 years Women over 50 years Pregnancy Men over 19 years

0.27 mg 11 mg 7 mg 10 mg 8 mg 11 mg 15 mg 18 mg 8 mg 27 mg 8 mg

which we can optimise this. Firstly, treat any of the correctable causes mentioned above. Improve your dietary intake and if clinically deficient then supplement with oral iron therapy which you can do in consultation with your physician.

Before I move to talk at length about the dietary sources, let me briefly talk about the medication.

Iron tablets are usually available on their own. People often complain of either constipation, diarrhoea and stomach cramps as side effects creating the massive issue of non-compliance. One of the ways to combat this, that I recommend to my patients, is to introduce the prescription medication in a graduated manner, which means,

Iron (mg) per 100gm of the following: • Cashewnuts, Sesame seeds, Sunflower seed kernels, Pine nuts, Hazel nuts, Pistachios, flax seed have around 5-15mg iron.

• Fortified breakfast cereals and breads, 15mg to 70mg • Soya beans, Tofu, legumes and lentils range from 8-15mg • Eggs 7mg • Chicken liver 12mg • Turkey liver 11mg • Beef spleen 45mg • Lamb spleen 42mg • Pork liver 23mg • Red peppers 10mg • Sun dried tomatoes 9mg • Apricots, peaches 6mg • Spinach 2.7mg CaLDRON MAGAZINE, MARCH 2015 | 107

take one tablet of iron a day for three days, increase it to two a day over the next few days, and then go up to three, if it can be tolerated.

ance. As a good starting point, if you are experiencing any of the above symptoms I suggest you have a basic blood test and take things from there.

SOURCES OF IRON The dietary iron is derived in two forms, Haem (red meat and poultry) and the non-Haem (the plant variety). Although, the iron from Haem form is better absorbed the long term damage to the body is less if the non-Haem variety is consumed more.

If I may add, once our energy levels shoot up by correcting something so simple you'd be surprised at how much you can achieve! â–

Apart from those mentioned below, other sources include whole grains, chickpeas, kidney beans, black eyed beans, broccoli, kale, potatoes, quinoa, bulgur wheat, brown rice. Balancing a few of these in most meals and part of snacks can lead to a fairly good bal-

Reader Questions If you have any health related questions, please write to drsushma@chefatlarge.in and we'll answer as many as possible in the next issue of CaLDRON Magazine.

How can we avoid nutritional anaemia? I am 25 years old and anaemic. I eat all types of fruits, vegetables and fish everyday but my haemoglobin stays at 9 or 10 without iron supplement. - Babita Ghosh Dr. SA: The quantity consumed on a daily basis plays a large part in keeping the Haemoglobin up. Please check the list in this article and see if you are including them in your diet regularly in moderate quantities. Another thing

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REFERENCES: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Anaemia-iron-deficiency-/Pages/Introduction.aspx http://www.patient.co.uk/health/iron-deficiency-anaemia-leaflet http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11029010 http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.php http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002422.htm http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000119000000000000000-w.html http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/

to consider is if your iron stores are depleted then in spite of high daily consumption you will still remain anaemic as body is utilising what it is taking causing no storage. In such a situation a good three to six month course of iron supplements will give a kick start to the stores and you can build on the diet for future.

Which food combinations help in the absorption of iron and which combinations slow down its absorption? - Alpa Yadav Dr. SA: To aid iron absorption even if taking iron supplements, consume foods rich in Vitamin C like Citrus fruits and orange juice. Phytates found in wholewheat flour, tannins in tea, Calcium etc. can reduce the absorption.

looking for cocktail recipes? we have a bunch in this issue. flip a few pages back!

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NATIONAL

SUBWAY ROLLS OUT WOMEN-OPERATED IN MUMBAI Subway opened its 500th restaurant in India as an all-women operated restaurant in Mumbai. Started by Nidhi Maheshwari and Rinku Bathla, this restaurant would be entirely operated by women staffers who are united by their love for Subway’s healthy eating options. The restaurant was inaugurated by Sumedha Mahajan, a renowned endurance runner who holds a record for 1,500 km marathon from Delhi to Mumbai

LISTINGS

and a self-proclaimed Subway fan.

DLECTA FOODS INTRODUCES GOURMET DAIRY PRODUCTS Dlecta Foods recently introduced a line of gourmet products in the retail markets, including a premium range of cheese available in slices, blocks and spread, besides cream cheese, shredded mozzarella and bakery ingredients like whip toppings and chocolate ganache.

“Our aim is to give discerning food lovers the choice of dishing out world cuisines at home too. The products we have introduced are ingredients that can go into the making of gourmet foods that will deliver authentic tastes to the recipes,” says Deepak Jain, Founder and MD, Dlecta Foods.

He added that the cheese products introduced are made from pure cow milk, while the mozzarella is as fine as its Italian counterpart. The products, available at several leading online e-tailers as well as at prominent supermarkets in the Mumbai, are aimed at consumers who love to cook gourmet food at home.

According to Nidhi, Subway's business model provides that fine balance of leveraging the entrepreneurial drive and yet being closely bonded and backed by a global organization. Explaining her reasons for becoming a Subway franchisee, she said, “For first time entrepreneurs, keen to learn the trade, Subway is an excellent opportunity as it ensures that every franchisee’s learning curve is backed by Subway’s commitment to delight customers with their healthy and flavourful offerings.”

Globally, Subway is represented by enterprising women in leadership positions. 35% of its franchisees are women while 98% of Subway franchisees employ women in their restaurants.

BIRA 91 CRAFT BEER LAUNCHED BY CERENA BEVERAGES Craft beer company, Cerana Beverages, launched its latest brand Bira 91 at New Delhi, in the draft (tap) and bottle format. The craft beer, available in two versions, was unveiled by the Jan Luykx, Ambassador of Belgium.

Bira 91 White is a wheat beer with low bitterness and a hint of spicy citrus with a soft finish. It is a refreshing all day craft beer brewed with the finest all natural ingredients. Bira 91 Blonde is an extra hoppy craft lager with floral aromas and a sturdy, malty flavor. The beer is positioned as a refreshing alternative to mass market beers, with craftsmanship in recipe and high quality ingredients.

Currently available in Delhi and NCR, Bira 91 will be introduced in the Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore market by April 2015. The products are priced at INR 150 in retail shops and at approximately INR 250 to 300 in most bars.

Speaking on the occasion of the launch Ambassador Luykx said “Belgium is known for its global leadership in beer making. Bira 91 draws on Belgian beer making expertise and traditions. That an Indian start has done it is exciting because it signals that there are exciting collaborations now being done between independent businesses in India and Belgium!”

SBARRO ROLLS OUT STROMBOLI AKA PIZZA ROLL Pizza chain Sbarro has introduced Stromboli, an Italian bread savory rolled in a cylindrical shape, filled with Mozzarella cheese, meats and vegetables and baked to a golden crust. The company claims that the dough for making Stromboli is freshly prepared daily and only 100% dairy mozzarella cheese is used.

Sbarro will serve four Stromboli varieties – Broccoli and Mushroom, Sausage and Cheese, Paneer Tikka and Chicken Tikka. Broccoli and Mushroom Stromboli has fresh broccoli and sliced button mushrooms with lot of mozzarella cheese stuffed into sesame topped dough, while Sausage and Cheese Stromboli has fennel-flavored Italian chicken sausages with melting cheese and a sprinkle of spice.

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LISTINGS

NESTLÉ TO SELL NEW FITNESS CEREAL WITH LESS SUGAR, MORE WHEAT IN EUROPE

Start the weekend with a bang at the Ewaan in Dubai at the Palace Downtown Dubai. Executive Chef Jean-Luc Morcellet has created an ideal combination of dishes straight from the heart, which is complemented by delectable deep fried ice cream and free flowing bubbly. The Friday brunch is on offer between 1pm to 4.30pm and is priced at AED 325 including soft beverages; AED 450 including house beverages; AED 695 including house beverages and premium bubbly.

Nestlé has also modified where certain ingredients, like sugar, are located in the new Fitness flakes in order to maintain flavour while improving the nutritional profile of the product. There is less sugar inside each new Fitness cereal flake because sugar on the surface coating provides enough sweetness.

Ewaan, an all-day dining establishment, serves a blend of Oriental cuisine.

It is home to fresh foie gras terrine, lobster ceviche to lobster thermidor, Russian caviar, the most succulent Argentinean meat, and a large selection of French cheese and fresh bread.

The new product contains as much iron and calcium as the original product and contains no artificial sweeteners. It is being launched through Nestlé’s joint venture, Cereals Partners Worldwide, with General Mills Inc.

FOUR SEASONS HOTEL HAMPSHIRE CRAFTS GOLDEN ALE TO MARK 10TH ANNIVERSARY

GOURMET EXPERIENCES AT Q LOUNGE & RESTAURANT AT BANANA ISLAND RESORT DOHA BY ANANTARA Q Lounge & Restaurant at Banana Island Resort Doha by Anantara offers a refreshing start to the day with à la carte breakfast options, a relaxing pool view and soothing sea breeze. Guests can take a break from the sun with light bites available for lunch – with a menu featuring 13 different types of hummus.

Exclusive cabanas complete with a personal butler and private dining area are available for day hire – or guests can relax on the floating platform which extends out over the turquoise water of the Arabian Gulf. During evenings, the luxury restaurant offers its signature international tapas and mezze creations to the ambient soundtrack of international and Middle Eastern music, as well as shisha available in a range of tempting flavors. The chic setting is enhanced by an exhibition of work by local artists which will change every three months.

Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and has carefully crafted its own Golden Ale to mark this occasion. Named 1086 after the year in which Dogmersfield Park was first referenced in the Domesday Book, Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire has teamed up with local, familyrun brewery Andwell's to carefully craft its signature recipe. It will be priced at GBP 6.50 for a 500ml bottle.

1086 has an aroma of freshly cut grass and oranges, with subtle undertones of lychee, soft peach, spice and earthy notes which are revealed with continued swirling. The ‘wine-gummy’ Sovereign and citrusy Cascade hops give a sweet, fruity impression while the Pilgrim add a rounded bitterness and a touch of cedar. Soft and moreish, the quirky Hersbrucker hop adds a hint of a floral and herbal palate that leads to a surprisingly dry finish that guests will savour and enjoy.

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INTERNATIONAL

Nestlé is launching a new version of its popular adult Fitness cereal across Europe with 30% less sugar, as part of its ongoing effort to make nutritional improvements to its products. The sugars in Nestlé Fitness Original are replaced mainly by increasing the amount of whole wheat and rice. The new product will be available across select markets in Europe in March, followed later by a roll-out to Latin America and Asia.

CHEF JEAN-LUC MORCELLET CREATES AN IDEAL FRIDAY BRUNCH AT EWAAN

Awww.. did it have to end?

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