The First and Only ISO 9001:2015 Certified F&B Magazine in India
Volume 01
Issue 11
Food AND Beverage Buzz India ₹150
SAARC countries US $20
Rest of the world US $25
heritage Jewish food of India
FOOD TRAIL MAJNU KA TILlA
Wonder food coconut From finger foods to desserts
July 2017
A YUMMYLICIOUS JOURNEY...
Editor's note
Monsoon Moments
C
ome rains and nature is engaged in a luxury indulgence. The tiny droplets splashing on the surface and bouncing on the rooftop or off the green leaves leave the trail of a lethargic muse until you want to hibernate into a poetic cocoon. The rain brings into effect the work of pixie dust so your eyes will only catch magic wherever you go. Whether it is watching a movie huddled on the couch, sip on a cuppa chai sitting by the window relishing the view of the downpour, playing in the rain, making paper boats float on the running stream of rain water or simply hogging on some home-made pakoras, monsoon is a destination you enjoy wherever you are. Snack on poha or satisfy your sweet tooth with ghewar and feni which are made by the shopkeepers only during the monsoon. This edition, we will celebrate the monsoon foods of India in our Delish
section and also gorge on Gorkhali cuisine in the state wise section. as also we sip on the Indian spirits along the reading way in the Liquids section. We have also added some uncommon delights purely for your gastronomic satiation; read about the Jewish cuisine, apprise yourself about the Goan desserts and eventually surprise yourself with the coconut based finger food recipes. In Celeb Talk, Sidharth Malhotra shares about his guilty delights and healthy food secrets while restaurateur Umang Tewari shares the secret recipe to start a successful restaurant chain. Food trail features Majnu Ka Tilla and explores the labyrinth of the Tibetan cuisine along the narrow lanes of this historic amalgam of culture and food. Monsoon is also the season for folk songs and merry dances as the Indian festival teej is celebrated with all its glory during this season. In North India, women wear colourful outfits,
sing songs and play with jhoola (hammock) during teej magnifying the bliss of the monsoon flurry giving us the much awaited break from the dry spell of summer. So dear reader, we welcome monsoon with clasped hands, our hearts filled with warmth on thinking about the cool break it will give us. Get together with all your loved ones, as this is a season of cosy togetherness, chatty tea sessions and reliving the nostalgic snacks. Happy reading!
Urvashi Agrawal
Chairman Shyam Sunder Publisher Pawan Agrawal Director Shishir Bhushan Editorial Editor Urvashi Agrawal Senior Consulting Editor Ashish Chopra Editorial Advisor Gautam Mehrishi Associate Editor Supriya Aggarwal Assistant Editor Diana Mehra Manager – Sales & Marketing Vishal Kishore Corporate Communications Natasha Creative Senior Graphic Designers Manish Kumar Alka Sharma Production Dilshad and Dabeer Webmaster Amit Jain IT Operations Sonia Shaw Abhishek Bhargava Photographer Subhash Circulation and Distribution Prem Kumar Contact Us Publisher ceo@oceanmedia.in Editor urvashi@oceanmedia.in +91-11-23243999, 23287999, 9958382999 info@oceanmedia.in | www.fnbbuzz.com Advertising and Marketing info@oceanmedia.in Editorial and Corporate Office Prabhat Prakashan Tower 4/19, Asaf Ali Road New Delhi-110002 (India) Disclaimer
All rights reserved. Reproduction and translation in any language in whole or in part by any means without permission from Food and Beverage Buzz is prohibited. Opinions expressed are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher and/or editors. All disputes are subject to jurisdiction of Delhi Courts. Food and Bevergage Buzz Magazine is printed, published and owned by Pawan Agrawal and printed at Graphic World, 1686, Kucha Dakhini Rai, Daryaganj, New Delhi-110002 and published at 4/19, Asaf Ali Road, New Delhi(India). Editor : Urvashi Agrawal
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Culinary Rituals of the Monsoon Yes it’s that time of the year! Monsoons are here and its celebration time for everyone in India. It’s not just the verdant green leaves that swirl and dance to the tune of the casual wind but also our hearts that flutter with happiness with the pitter patter of rain. The seasonal monsoon winds not only quench the thirst of the parched earth, but they also bring with them many excuses for lovers of food to experiment and innovate recipes that would be perfect to relish in the cool breeze while listening to the symphony of rain. Hogging on piping hot pakoras with tea is an Indian ritual during the monsoons that’s famous all over the world. However, there are many more delectable dishes to be savoured in the pleasant weather to give you a perfect monsoon day! In this edition, we make your task easier by bringing the wonderful monsoon cuisine in the comfort of your home so that you add the aroma of these dishes to the petrichor, thus making the monsoon experience complete. We feature the journey of Jewish cuisine from Baghdad to Kolkata. We also take you to the narrow by lanes of Majnu Ka Tilla that are buzzing with mystique and where there’s a surprise in store with every little turn that one takes. The Tibetan cuisine fuses beautifully with the local flavours only to produce some exotic food which would leave the taste buds tingling and yearning for more. The first rains invoke you to cast off the burdens of life, to soak in the glory of dripping clouds and crisp air. These are the moments that rains bring out the child in you and invoke you to play in the puddles and make paper boats where you are the sailor of your life. Now that the monsoons have arrived, so has another edition of Food and Beverage Buzz for you to treasure!
Ashish Chopra
Sr Consulting Editor
Con Monsoon Special
The First and Only ISO 9001:2015 Certified F&B Magazine in India
Volume 01
Issue 11
Food AND Beverage Buzz India ₹150
SAARC countries US $20
Rest of the world US $25
July 2017
A YUMMYLICIOUS JOURNEY...
F O O D
HERITAGE
A N D
Jewish food of India
B E V E R A G E
FOOD TRAIL MAJNU KA TILLA
B U Z Z
Wonder food COCONUT
}
From finger foods to desserts
On THE COVER Coconut is an integral part of Indian cuisine and makes for an interesting ingredient
t e
n
ts
Deli c jack ious f r uit sho cook rtbrea d ie card s with amo m
10 celeb talk
“There is nothing healthier than home cooked food”
14 Health
Stay healthy and wise
16 heritage
From Baghdad, with (Bak)love-ah!
22 Inspiring
Walking the zero waste mile
24 food trail
Unforbidden food of the Forbidden Land
31 delish
The jack of all fruits
36 delish
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Pamper your taste buds this monsoon!
state wise
46 check-in
From the Land of Gorkhas
Rohet Garh, jodhpur
Sarikah Atreya
48 sweet take
Taste the sweetness of Goa
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in focus
Bringing the big fish into the net
Diana Mehra
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60 opinion
Impact of GST on Hospitality
62 snacky treat The Snacky Coconut
66 quick read
The best of holy basil-the royal herb
liquids
The Great Desi Single Malts
Tanvi Rustagi
68 legend
Reliving the Nawabi culinary legacy July 2017
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state wise
From the land of
gorkhas
The Indian Gorkhali cuisine is an eclectic mix of tastes from across the Himalayas and even South East Asia that has resulted in a palate with distinct flavours that shape its people and their unique identity in India and across the globe. 4
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Image Courtesy: Thakali, A Nepalese Restaurant, Gangtok
The Nepali Gorkhali Thali
W
hile it is easy to compare the food culture of the Indian Gorkhas with that of Nepal, it is understandable, as its biggest influence comes from the Himalayan kingdom. The sociocultural influence from Nepal, Tibet, North India and Bengal is clearly seen in the food we eat and this is what defines us as a society of more than two dozen sub-communities. Each community within the larger Indian Gorkhali diaspora has contributed immensely to its food culture, giving our food a familiar but distinct identity.
Sarikah Atreya The writer is a foodie based in Gangtok, Sikkim, with Dogra and Indian Gorkhali roots. She inherited her love for food and learnt the nuances of Indian Gorkhali cuisine from her late mother.
The Gorkhali cuisine boosts of more than 40 varieties of ethnic fermented foods and beverages. Most of these ethnic foods are less known outside of the community and the ingredients and methods of preparation of most of these ethnic dishes have remained unchanged for over 150 years. The dal-bhat-tarkari-achar (legume or lentil soup, rice, vegetable curry
Mutton is an integral part of any feast and pickle) is a stable everyday food with the Indian Gorkhas, with rice being the centrepiece of the Gorkhali spread which holds all the different meat and vegetable dishes together in perfect synergy. Certain foods have huge cultural significance in the Indian Gorkhali society and this is perfectly highlighted during festivals and celebrations. The dal-bhat-tarkariachar regime takes a back seat and a feast is laid out fit for a king. Mutton is an integral part of any feast. A festive meal would not be complete without a khasiko masu (mutton curry) cooked with big chunks of ishkus (chayote squash) in a gravy of cumin, coriander and garam masala, red chilli powder, garlic and ginger paste and a generous amount July 2017
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The pristine sight of the Himalayas which spreads its climatic influence to the Gorkha people
Chicken and fish dishes are prepared in a typical North Indian or Bengali style, giving the dishes a pan-India flavour of mustard oil. No part of the goat is wasted. The prime cuts go for the curry. The head, lungs and the lesser cuts for a spicy fry loaded with green chillies called pachauney. The entrails turn into another all-time favourite appetiser – karchi marchi – a spicy dry fry with onions, chillies, tomatoes, ginger-garlic and coriander leaves. Karchi marchi will be later served with drinks, along with mulako acchar – a hot and savoury pickle made with radish and churpi (a light ricotta type local cottage cheese), onions, green chillies, tomatoes or the spicy aloo til achar (boiled potatoes with roasted sesame seeds powder, tempered with fenugreek seeds, green chillies and onions). The goat trotters will be made into another classic favourite khasiko khuttako achar, a hot and fiery curry or pickle. Khasiko sekuwa (marinated grilled mutton) will also
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find a place served along with drinks and other appetisers. For pork lovers, there will be the classic combination of sungurko masura rayo saag (pork with mustard greens, cooked in a simple tomatobased gravy) or the sungurko khuttako achar (a close cousin of the khasiko khuttako achar, prepared in a similar style). A childhood favourite would be sukako sungurko masu (Smoked and dried pork with dried chilly powder, salt and turmeric), served thinly sliced. Chicken and fish dishes are prepared in a typical North Indian or Bengali style, giving the dishes a pan-India flavour. The Bengali influence in the way fish is prepared is evident in the use of mustard and poppy seeds paste in the gravy.
Above: Cardamom scented moong dal tadka; below: mutton sekuwa
Image Courtesy: Thakali, A Nepalese Restaurant, Gangtok
A traditional dish with the Kirat community of the Indian Gorkhas would be wachipa, made with rice, minced chicken and powder made out of burnt feathers of a chicken – the powder gives a unique bitter taste. Traditional alcoholic beverages have strong social and religious importance in the Indian Gorkhali culture. Raksi (traditional local wine) is prepared from fermented cereals like kodo (finger millet), rice, corn, wheat and even roots like cassava and flowers like rhododendrons. Kodoko jaanr and nigar (local finger millet beers) are consumed as much as other alcoholic beverages like whiskey, brandy, beer and wine. Lentils and legumes are important part of the everyday meals. A classic Indian Gorkhali favourite is the kalo dal (black gram lentil soup) tempered with small pieces of onions in ghee. Kalo dal paired perfectly with sidra (sun-dried fish), which is made into a pickle, sidra ko achar, with roasted tomatoes, salt and the fiery hot red cherry peppers (dalley khorsani), which is indigenous
A classic Indian Gorkhali favourite is the kalo dal (black gram lentil soup) tempered with small pieces of onions in ghee
The spicy Gorkhali mutton curry
to the Himalayan belt. Aloo dum, a perianal favourite spicy potato curry is consumed on a daily basis, both as a snack as well as part of a meal. No festivity is complete without sel roti, a traditional sweet, ring-shaped rice bread.It is a labour of love, and prepared with expert hands, mostly by ladies of the households. The rice, soaked overnight, is beaten in a wooden okhli musli to a fine powder. A thick batter is prepared by adding milk, water, cooking oil, sugar, ghee, butter, cardamom, cloves and other flavours of personal choice to the rice flour and is deep fried in heated oil or ghee in ring shapes until it turns light brown on both sides. Sel roti, with a shelf life of about a month if stored properly are often sent as special gifts to family members living away from home or used as prasad in pujas. Generally, it is served with Gorkhali achar (cooked onions and tomato, green chilly pickle), khasi or sungurko khuttako achar, karchi marchi, aloo til achar or aloo dum. Or just with plain tea as a snack. July 2017
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Kinema is a powerhouse when it comes to its nutritional value
Left: Momos which have the combined traditional Gorkhali style and flavour; below: aloo ra til ko achar
Image Courtesy: Thakali, A Nepalese Restaurant, Gangtok
Kinema (fermented soya bean paste) is a typical Gorkhali food that is commonly consumed as a curry, with rice. Kinema is a powerhouse when it comes to its nutritional value. It is a high source of plant protein and probiotics. Because of its pungent smell and unusual flavour, it is an acquired taste. But cooked in a spicy, tangy sauce of onions, tomatoes, green chillies and fresh coriander leaves, its curry is enough to stir up old childhood memories, especially for those who has been away from home for long. Kinema has close cousins across the North
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eastern India and South East Asia. In Meghalaya, the Khasis call it tyrumbai; Manipuris have a similar food called hawaizar. Mizos call it bekang-um and in Nagaland, it is aakhuni. In Japan, it is natto, chungkok-jang in Korea; thuanao in Thailand, pe-poke in Myanmar and in China, douchi. Another quintessential Indian Nepalese or Gorkhali dish, gundrukko jhol has a place in our hearts that no Michelin star dish can replace. This basic humble soup is made from gundruk-fermented and sun-dried green vegetables like mustard, turnip,
Image Courtesy: Thakali, A Nepalese Restaurant, Gangtok
radish, cauliflower leaves, known for its tangy sour taste and considered to be good for digestion. A simple bowl of gundrukko jhol with plain rice is gentle on the stomach and great on the soul. No meal is complete without gundruk soup or gundruk pickle. Modern-day demands and the fastpaced lifestyle has meant that some of the traditional Indian Gorkhali dishes have been almost forgotten. Take for example dhenroh. In the earlier days, dhenroh was a stable food, even eaten more than rice. Very similar in make to the Italian polenta, dhenroh is made from corn meal or even wheat flour. It is prepared by boiling corn or wheat flour in a large vessel along with a little butter and salt; and continuously stirred until it becomes a soft dough. This nutritious dish eaten with seasonal vegetables, achars and gundruk ko jhol. A soup made from tender stinging nettle leaves – sishnu ko jhol – is another dish that pairs perfectly with dhenroh. Unfortunately, both sishnu ko jhol and dhenroh is no longer prepared or eaten especially in the urban areas. These are forgotten recipes that need revival. These dishes define who we are.
Top: Sungur ra rayo saag Pork curry with mustard leaves; above: sel roti
Gorkhali food has contributed to the rich dietary culture of India Indian Gorkhas (Bharatiya Gorkha) are Nepali language-speaking Indian citizens. The term ‘Indian Gorkha’ is used to differentiate between Gorkhas who are Indians and those who are Nepali citizens. The Indian Gorkhas are mostly residents of hilly areas like Darjeeling Hills, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal and other Northeastern states of India.
Indian Gorkhali cuisine is a distinct, yet diverse gastronomical fare, with influences from Nepal, North India, Bengal and Tibet. Each subcommunity within the vast Indian Gorkha community has contributed immensely to the platter. Indian Gorkhali food has significantly contributed to the rich dietary culture of India.
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celeb talk
“There is nothing healthier
than home cooked food”
- Sidharth Malhotra
One of the hottest and drool-worthy actors of the current bandwagon of Bollywood, Sidharth Malhotra talks about his food habits and fitness with Food and Beverage Buzz.
H
Aarti Kapur Singh The writer has been writing on cinema and lifestyle for more than a decade. Her interest in cinema is also why she is pursuing a doctorate on the subject. An ardent foodie, she feels travelling and eating are the best stress-busters.
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aving graduated in 2012 with Karan Johar’s Student Of The Year, Sidharth Malhotra charmed his way into our hearts with his cute looks, sweet smile and a brilliant screen presence. With Ek Villian, he proved that he is not just a pretty face to reckon with and impressed everyone with his bad-boy-gonegood role. He has recently wrapped up shooting for Abhay Chopra’s Ittefaq remake and wrapped up the schedule of Neeraj Pandey’s Aiyaary in the scenic Gulmarg. “I found it best to bicycle around the place to admire the serenity because it was also good exercise,” quips the healthconscious actor. Sidharth is quick to add that “Delhi is India’s ultimate food destination and if I am on my own to Delhi, I pig on poori-chana and halwa!” Also the brand ambassador of New Zealand Tourism, he talks about staying in shape despite his “terribly incurable sweet tooth”.
Food and Beverage Buzz: You grew up in Delhi, how much has that shaped your food habits? Sidharth Malhotra: I think spoilt is more like it! (laughs). Growing up in Delhi we had a lot of chaat — gol gappa,
“My fridge always has...dark chocolate, eggs and gluten free bread” raj kachori, aloo tikki and chana puri. We used to frequent Haldirams and Bengal Sweet Centre in South Extension. The city has some fantastic restaurants and street-food joints. I have some really fond memories of eating chicken rolls from this fast food van in the PVR Saket Complex. Delhi is unbeatable when it comes to food. And I cannot get rid of that taste for spicy and oily food completely, ever! So much so that on my cheat days, I usually binge eat. It is more irritating for my trainer. FnB Buzz: What are your other favourite cuisines or things you like to eat? Sidharth Malhotra: I enjoy eating Italian and Japanese cuisine. I eat just about anything and everything. But I’m crazy about sweets and dark chocolate. My fridge always has copious amounts of dark chocolate, eggs and gluten free bread. So, I can rustle up a scratch meal with these.
Sidharth Malhotra
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Left: Raj Kachouri; right: egg bhurji
“In Mumbai, I love eating anywhere – from fine dining to just having vada paos” FnB Buzz: Are you fond of cooking? Sidharth Malhotra: When I had just moved to Mumbai, I lived on my own. I hadn’t signed on any movie and ran my own kitchen so I cooked a lot. It was basic cooking and sometimes just boiled food or the basic bhurji with toast or boiled eggs with salad. I do pick up easy things to cook whenever I am travelling. But I would love to learn gourmet cooking and invite friends over for lavish meals that run into several courses! (Laughs) FnB Buzz: And where do you like eating the most? Sidharth Malhotra: At home when my mom is around. My mother is an excellent cook and I enjoy my meal every time she makes one. I miss homecooked meals when I am travelling for shoots. She makes amazing achaari mutton and mutton biryani. And also the most amazing melt-in-the-mouth besan laddoos. In Mumbai, I love eating anywhere – from fine dining at Wasabi or Hakkasan to just having even vada
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paos or seekh kababs. Abroad, I love Zuma, Nobu and Cipriani. FnB Buzz: What is your favourite dish or comfort food? Sidharth Malhotra: Chicken gravy with roti or biryani. If I go out, then sushi. And if I am in Delhi, I have to beg and grovel and plead with my folks to get me gol gappas and aloo tikkis. But they are all hand-in-glove with my nutritionist and trainer. (Laughs). FnB Buzz: And what is your most favourite guilty indulgence? Sidharth Malhotra: Jalebis. And gulab jamuns. I sometimes have them with pickle. It is an unusual combination, but I really insist you must try it – at least once. I promise you will be hooked to it! It is weird, but my mom used to do that when I was a kid and I think I picked up the habit from there. Also, like I mentioned, I can’t stay away from dark chocolate. I would rather run an extra hour on the treadmill than not have it at all.
Left: Sidharth has an undying love for Delhi’s chaat; right: sushi
“It can be daunting to maintain six-packs the whole year”
FnB Buzz: Despite being fond of food, it doesn’t show on you. What is the secret? Sidharth Malhotra: I think it is mostly my fondness for sport – especially football. In fact, I favour outdoor sports over hardcore and tough workouts in the closed environment of a gym. Since childhood, I have been very fond of playing outdoor sports. I’m a true sports lover. I have been in love with football since my childhood. I used to participate in inter-college matches while I was in college. Sports teach you a lot about life in general. But I don’t obsess over working out or playing. I don’t like the idea of exhausting my body beyond what it can take. That’s the reason why I sometimes cancel my normal workout sessions, when I know that an intense dance shoot has been scheduled for a particular day. Also, I don’t pig myself out all the time. I eat a lot of protein-rich foods such as chicken, fish, meat and so on. I do not leave home without my protein bars so that I don’t eat junk food if sudden pangs of hunger strike. Having said that, I make sure that the calories
I consume justify the calories burnt. I insist on organic and homemade foods that are free from added preservatives. That does make a huge difference in the long run. I follow a simple diet consisting of organic and home-cooked food with less artificial products and sugar. My meals are high in protein and I also drink a lot of water and also eat at regular intervals. FnB Buzz: You also made a conscious choice of going vegetarian for a while…was that difficult that you got back to being a non-vegetarian? Sidharth Malhotra: I think vegetarian food is healthier. If you don’t care about getting all beefed up, then a vegetarian diet will work for you. But honestly, it is a lot more hard work. (Laughs) It can be daunting to maintain six-packs the whole year round. It requires a change of lifestyle with regular workouts and strict dieting. FnB Buzz: So what is your diet mantra? Sidharth Malhotra: Eat home cooked food as much as you can. There is nothing healthier than that! July 2017
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health
Stay healthy
and wise Monsoon is all about indulgence but one needs to be careful as this season is most prone to diseases and infections.
T
he one thing that make monsoons enjoyable are its tempting crispy treats with a cup of your favourite tea. A balanced diet is often advised to everyone and it should include a variety of vitamins and minerals.
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Typically, a balanced diet should include foods from various food groups so that the diet is nutritionally adequate. This concept is called as Diet Diversification, wherein the food that we eat helps us in providing various macro and micro nutrients. Regular
Poor dietary, intake is one of the reasons why people have iron deficiency consumption of micronutrient rich foods help promoting a healthy life which is free from diseases.
Tea has various phytates and tannins which hinders the absorption of iron
Monsoon as a season often results in an increase in the infection rate. Lack of hygiene and sanitation leads to various infections that lower the immunity of the body. Nutrients that we eat have an important role to play in providing the body with the required resistance to fight infections. Most often an infection leaves you fatigued. Infections can affect the nutritional status of a person. One of the reasons is also that we suffer from fatigue because of Iron Deficiency Anaemia.
are low in folic acid and primarily vegetarian. Bad cooking practices tend to aid in the loss of folic acid and since vitamin B12 is needed for the absorption of folic acid, a lack of both results in anaemia.
Nutritional anaemia can occur in the body due to low intake of folic acid, vitamin B12 or iron in the diet. Anaemia is a condition where the haemoglobin level in the body is lower than required. Women in the reproductive age group, pregnant or lactating are particularly affected with anaemia as their needs are more as compared to men. Poor dietary intake is one of the reasons why people have iron deficiency. Regular Indian diets
One of the ways in which we can prevent anaemia is through diet modification. Fortification is also one of the ways in which the intake of micronutrients can be increased. The FSSAI has mandated standards of fortification of stapes like wheat and rice, which make up the major part of Indian diets. The CEO of FSSAI, Pawan Agarwal says, “Fortification of widely consumed and centrally processed foods like wheat and rice
www.ffrc.fssai.gov.in/fortification
Many companies have started fortifying their wheat flour and rice
is a globally ascertained strategy to curb micronutrient deficiencies. Fortification is a cost-effective intervention when targeting large population in addition to the initiatives implemented by the government to prevent anaemia. A lot of companies have come forward and have already started fortifying their wheat flour and rice. Fortified products carry the +F logo to help consumer make informed health decisions.� As per the FSSAI standards, wheat flour and rice are fortified with iron, vitamin B12 and folate which help prevent anaemia. Some of the ways in which you can increase the absorption of these micronutrients is by avoiding to eat food which are rich in these nutrients with tea or milk. Milk has calcium and tea has various phytates and tannins which hinders the absorption of iron. Iron absorption is increased by the consumption of Vitamin C therefore eating lemon and citrus fruits can help the absorption of iron. Also, choosing fortified products over regular products will help make better choices for the health of your family. For more information on fortification or on fortified products available in the market, please log on to http://ffrc. fssai.gov.in/ July 2017
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heritage
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From Baghdad, with (Bak) love-ah!
During the late 1800s, Kolkata (then Calcutta) was a migrant hub. Among the Chinese, Greeks, Burmese, Armenians and Parsis were the Baghdadi Jews. This unique community is striving to keep their culture alive and food is playing a major role.
C
risp on the outside, soft inside, the golden brown, whole fried potatoes were brought piping hot to the dining table. My father, David, urged his guests to abandon even trying to tackle these “jumping potatoes” with their forks and knives. “Just sink your teeth in them!” He had remarked cheerfully. We did and enjoyed the crackle in our mouths that slowly yielded to the soft, oozing centre melting on our tongues. Aloo makallah was definitely the star attraction of Baghdadi Jewish meals and a Calcutta specialty.
Jael Silliman The writer is an independent scholar, consultant and writer. Her work on the Baghdadi Jewish community includes Jewish Portraits, Indian Frames: Women’s Narratives from a Diaspora of Hope, two novels, The Man With Many Hats and The Teak Almirah and numerous articles in popular magazines as well as academic journals.
Calcutta’s Jews of the Middle East My father’s ancestor, Shalome Obadiah Ha Cohen, was the first Jew to come from Aleppo, Syria in the late eighteenth for trade in Calcutta and make it his home. Yet, our Middle Eastern community is loosely called ‘Baghdadi’ as we followed the liturgy of Baghdad, a centre of Jewish learning. We Baghdadis flourished in the port cities of ‘Jewish Asia’ that stretched
Aloo makallah was the star attraction of Baghdadi Jewish meals from Baghdad to Shanghai. In Karachi, Bombay, Calcutta, Rangoon, Singapore, Penang, Djakarta, Hong Kong and Shanghai, small enclaves of Jews relied upon one another for religious, financial and social support. Marriages, commercial news, business and family connections welded us into a powerful economic and cultural presence in the East.
Making Calcutta Home In Calcutta, the second city of Empire, we adapted to our new home and shifted from being Judaeo-Arabic to Judaeo-British in our language, as well as shifted in terms of dress and cultural orientation. We lived among Anglo Indian, Parsis, Armenians, Chinese as well as Hindus and Muslims. Our food maintained its Middle Eastern July 2017
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hallmark but drew generously from the culinary traditions around us. At home, we also ate dals, rice and bhajis and our cuisine evolved along with the strong Indian accent. It became spicy and tangy with ginger, green dhania (cilantro), chillies, tamarind and spices. Calcutta’s fresh produce gave greater variety to our fare.
Growing Up Jewish in Calcutta My mother, Flower, grew up in the hothouse of the Baghdadi community that was very vibrant till the midtwentieth century. Due to a plethora of reasons, especially migration, the numbers dwindled very rapidly. From a peak of more than four thousand people, three synagogues and a prayer hall, there were about 700 Jews left by 1970s. It seems fitting that Shalome was the first to come here and I am among the last – there are now barely twenty members of our community left in the city. “The last of the Mohicans,” I guess. Mum grew up in a religious home and is very familiar with Baghdadi Jewish customs. A splendid cook, author of several recipe books, she owned the Maharaja – the first Kosher Indian restaurant in Jerusalem. She is a cultural resource on the community that is now resettled in the UK, Israel, the USA, Canada and Australia where the elder members of the community still cook and relish their Calcutta Baghdadi food.
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Malfouf, the Middle-East cabbage delicacy Flower’s grandmother, Farha Baqaal Abraham, came from Basra to Calcutta on her own volition as a young bride of fifteen to marry Saleh, her father’s business partner. Also a consummate cook, Farha was known for the many specialty dishes she prepared. One of them was baklava, which along with other Arabic sweets were very prized at weddings, khatbas (engagement ceremonies), bar mitzvahs (coming of age ceremonies for young boys) and other festive occasions. Flower remembers Farha rolling out thin flaky filo sheets of pastry and placing them on a large khuncha – a round, copper tray. Her dadi painstakingly layered the filo sheets with almonds, sugar, rosewater and cardamom and then cut it into diamond shapes before sending them to be baked. When the trays returned from the bakery, Farha poured hot sugar syrup over the baklavas and allowed the crispy topped pastry to cool in its sugary syrup. Farha was also famous for her makhbooz – almond samaboosas (crushed almonds, rosewater and sugar inside a thin filo dough), pistachio mulfoof (a thin pastry with crushed pistachios inside) and various
Nahoums, the famous Jewish confectioners, still has a commanding presence in the New Market
luzinas (confections made from nuts, sugar, fruit and vegetables including pumpkin and quince). Prepared in her kosher kitchen, they were much in demand as Jewish customers could not buy food items from non-kosher confectioners. Nahoums, the famous Jewish confectioners, still has a commanding presence in the New Market. It started as a small door-to door business selling these items as well as jibben, a Jewish plaited, salted cheese. There were a few other Jewish tradesman who sold similar items including kulichas, (a cake made from semolina, oil, sugar and eggs with a sprinkling of black poppy seeds), date babas which was pastry filled with mashed dates and sugar, kakas which were crisp bagel like rings of salt pastry, cheese and almond samboosas. Halkoon (Turkish delight), sumsum (sugar candy encrusted with sesame seats) and halva rashi which was a halva made from till seeds were also popular.
Sabbath Meals in Calcutta Jewish Homes Family and friends eagerly awaited Friday night at our home as my mother, Flower, used to ensure we had wonderful dinners to welcome the Sabbath. Karmalli, who had been the cook to my grandmother, worked all day to prepare these gargantuan meals with help from an assistant or assistants depending on the number of family and guests expected. Dinner was only served after we sung the prayers and made brachot (blessings) on the wine and two loaves of bread. The sweet grape wine we sipped was kosher and prepared and bottled on the Bethel synagogue premises. Friday night menu was fixed. Of course, the first course always consisted of aloo makallah, hilbe – a green viscous chutney made from fenugreek (methi seeds), which is a sauce of Yemeni origin, zalata (a cucumber salad with mint and vinegar), mahashas (stuffed vegetables) and roast chicken. This was followed by a curried dish and pilaf.
The grape wine Jews used were kosher and bottled at Bethel synagogue premises
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Roast chicken and mahashas accompanied the famed aloos. The chicken was flavoured with ginger, garlic, cinnamon, cloves, bayleaf and cardamom. Mahashas, colourful whole vegetables stuffed with chicken and mint flavoured rice, were glazed with tamarind for a pungent zing. Tomatoes, cucumbers, onionskins, eggplant, green and red peppers were scooped out for the stuffing to be placed inside. Beet and lettuce leaves replaced vine leaves in which the aromatic filling was wrapped. The curry served as the second course differed each week. Made of fish or chicken with coconut or tamarind was a technique picked up from Cochini Jews. As Jews are not allowed to mix milk and meat, the idea of substituting coconut milk was a masterful addition to Baghdadi cuisine. Sometimes, a finely chopped bamboo curry made with chicken, duck or fish in rich coconut gravy was favoured. Tender bamboo – very popular among Bengalis, Chinese and Anglo Indians – was yet another addition to our food. Chitanee, chicken or fish in a sweet sour gravy of onions and tamarind or a much lighter bamia khatta or
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the hamim started cooking on Friday night on slowly dying embers beet khatta with chicken and kubbas was also on the menu. A kubba was a ground rice paste dumpling stuffed with minced meat and cooked in the stew. Jewish men went to synagogue on Saturdays and came home from the Shahrith service to the aroma of chicken and sweet spices wafting through the door. As Jews are not allowed to ‘light a fire’ on Sabbath, the hamim started cooking on Friday night on slowly dying embers. This one pot meal is made with a whole hen with the skin in tact stuffed with rice, livers, gizzards and peas and flavoured with cardamom, cloves, bay leaf and cinnamon. It was sometimes also made with wheat. Ginger and garlic was added for flavouring. The whole hen is immersed in a pot of stew consisting of rice, chicken pieces, tomatoes and carrots when in season. Often kubbas,
Jewish food is flavoured with ginger, garlic, cinnamon, cloves, bayleaf and cardamom
the round rice dumplings were added as were eggs with their shells. The eggs were placed on top of the hamim being cooked and would turn a deep brown colour. On Sabbath morning, three dishes would miraculously emerge: the whole stuffed hen called the hashwa (stuffed in Arabic); shorba, a rich stew of rice and chicken (thick soup); and hakaka, the dark brown crust at the bottom flavoured with chicken that gets its name from the word Kak which means crisp in Arabic. When my grandmother prepared hamim in London her incredulous English neighbour peevishly, but in polite British fashion, asked: “While the smells from your kitchen are tantalising, what is it that you cook in the middle of the night?” Pickles and condiments – bamboo, mango, eggplant and tomato – were made by Jewish housewives and they accompanied all meals. One of their specialties that I only heard about but never tasted was mariam aachar, a fruit that came from Burma that closely resembled an olive. This green vegetable with a pit substituted for
Jewish women, along with their male Muslim cooks, helped prepare the meals with a strict eye on kashrut the olives so ubiquitous in the lands from where we came. The famous Middle Eastern red turnip pickle that was sliced turnips in brine covered red with beetroot was always a large ceramic or glass jar of this michalilla in every home.
Food and Family Ties Our cooking is labour intensive but was made possible because our families were large and extended. Women of the family teamed up to prepare the food for feasts and festivals. Telescopic tables or tables with several leaves, were standard furniture to accommodate the large get-togethers that centred around food and prayer. Jewish women, along with their male Muslim cooks, helped prepare the meals with a strict eye on kashrut. As Muslims were familiar with halal and
also did not eat pig’s meat, we also entrusted the maintenance of our synagogues to generations of Muslim care-takers who still perform this role. Affluent homes employed a Jewish man called a mashgya (steward), a ritual slaughterer, who lived on the premises. His duty was to supervise the cleanliness of the kitchen, and inspect the fruits and vegetables.
Recalling Bygone Days Long gone are the days when large families gathered regularly to eat at tables groaning with food. They relish the memories of these lovingly prepared, sumptuous meals cooked by their mothers, aunties and grandmothers, or by the numerous ‘Jewish cooks’ trained to work in Jewish homes. Recalling, relishing and recording these memories seems to me to be deliciously worthwhile. July 2017
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Inspiring
Walking the
zero waste mile
Plastic pollution is trending in the hit list of environmentalists. It’s consuming our land, polluting our air and killing water resources. But Narayana Peesapati has a solution for us. Team FnB
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e are all disconcerted by the massive utility of plastic and somehow, the material has gained the status of a necessary evil. The harmful effects of plastic and its waste need not be enunciated, we are living through it. But one man chose to tackle the muddle. Narayana Peesapati had always felt guilty about using plastic especially
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cutlery. So, he came up with a solution. He founded the Bakey’s Food Private Limited that makes edible cutlery. The venture was started in 2011 and since then it has been manufacturing edible cutlery including spoons in different shapes and chopsticks. Bakey’s edible cutlery is made from a mix of jowar (sorghum), rice and wheat flour. The spoons and chopsticks do not get soggy if placed in water or wet food. They only soften after
Pic: Narayana Peesapati (in still) 10 to 15 minutes of using them and so they can be easily eaten after meals. Even if they are discarded, insects and rodents are likely to eat them or they get decomposed. The muse for the venture came when he was on-board a flight from Ahmedabad to Hyderabad and he saw a passenger use a piece of khakra like a spoon. Narayana’s venture has since then achieved international recognition. In the raging war against plastic waste, people are not still aware about its dangers. We continue using it and companies are still using them for packaging. Small food joints and quick service chains, people on travel, etc make use of plastic cutlery. The convenience, in this case, rules the pervading sense of polluting the environment and causing harm to ourselves. Plastics are not only toxic to the environment but also carcinogenic to the human body. The irony with the manufacturing process is that, there are an invaluable number of ways for food security but not as many for manufacturing plastic cutlery. So, according to Narayana, people are at a higher risk of plastic intake.
Bakey’s edible spoons
The spoons, when discarded, insects and rodents are likely to eat them or they get decomposed
Narayan’s Bakey’s is based out of Hyderabad and he had to sell two of his properties to start this venture. Today, the Bakey’s is doing a laudable job in spreading awareness about the dangers of using plastic cutlery; they also conduct organic bazaars and exhibitions. Narayana hopes to develop an automated machine for manufacturing his cutlery someday and contribute to a plastic free world. July 2017
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food trail
Unforbidden food
of the Forbidden Land In this monsoon special edition, we take you on a journey of a small Tibetan colony in Delhi, Majnu Ka Tilla to explore some scrumptious dishes.
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henever I sit in the balcony of my house chilling (literally) in the winter winds or the monsoon rains admiring the lush green mustard fields in front I suddenly feel hungry, which is nothing unusual for me, in this setting and the cuisine that engulfs my senses is Tibetan! A piping hot thukpa laced with some super hot dried chilli flakes would be the perfect catalyst to tingle my senses as well as filling up my pot belly that gargles in hunger.
Ashish Chopra The writer is the Senior Consulting Editor of Food and Beverage Buzz Magazine.
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My home aside, one place where I love venturing into to satiate my craving for authentic Tibetan food is of course Majnu Ka Tilla – Tibetan refugee colony in Delhi. Though the place also has a fantastic Sikh history and promises a lovely langar at the gurudwara, my senses simply dictate me to step into that small Tibetan galli
The seraphic structure of the Tibetan monastery
Majnu Ka Tilla also has become synonymous to the Tibetan refugee colony and its culture around it
Majnu Ka Tilla – the story in short
It is said that a few hundred years back, there was a person who used to be engrossed in meditation for days together in this area. He had become weak but he did not stop meditating. People around the region started believing that he had lost his mind and started associating him with the legendary majnu. One of the gurus of the Sikh faith visited this place and
was touched by this person’s devotion and blessed him and said that he would be remembered by posterity. Later, when the gurudwara was built in this location, it became popular as Gurudwara Majnu Ka Tilla. But today, Majnu Ka Tilla (MKT) also has become synonymous to the Tibetan refugee colony and its culture around it. With the University of Delhi in its vicinity, the MKT – as the students like to refer to it as, has become a gastronomy hub for students from various parts of the country, especially India’s North East.
Images by: Prescilla Zinyu
(ally) and enter the portals of a world that only a select few in Delhi would relate to.
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Above: Gurudwara Majnu Ka Tilla; left: Ashish Chopra with His Holiness Dalai Lama
One of the dishes from Amdo which has become a favourtie dish of many Tibetans is thenthuk 26
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I have indelible memories connecting me to Tibet and the precincts of its culture. How do I even start penning down my thoughts here?
Flashback Way back in college (the Government College, Chandigarh), me and my batchmates had decided to question two young freshers – Tsering Tashi and Gyari Kalsang as a part of the very traditional ritual of ‘innocent
acquaintance’. Apart from the usual questioning and mischief, the foodie that I always was, I asked them about Tibetan food. So, in eventuality, they were the ones who gave me the first insight on traditional Tibetan food. They invited me to their house for an authentic Tibetan meal. Let me remind everyone, that momos had not become omnipresent in India as yet but I had eaten enough of momos during my journeys to the north Indian hill states and so, having shabalay with my Tibetan friends surprised my momoexperienced palate like never before. That snack at Gyari and Tsering’s place blew my mind! Today, Gyari is a member of the Tibetan Parliament in India and Tsering is closely associated with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama.
Back on Track – Food and Culture: Traditionally, Tibet was divided into three regions – Amdo, U-Tsang and
shabalay (deep fried and pan fried) is simply sinful. They are like meat samosas or patties Kham. Amdo is the region from where His Holiness has come from. Amdo is known for its traditional cuisine. One of the dishes from Amdo which has become a favourtie dish of many Tibetans is thenthuk. This soupy pasta dish is uncomplicated – chunks of meat and diced vegetables chucked in to the stock along with wanton shaped noodles. However, my first love – shabalay is simply sinful. They are like meat samosas or patties. But the juice of the beef or meat that makes the filling also reminds me of a shepherd’s pie – only thinner in consistency, and the meat inside is also drier than a pie. In Delhi, I have tried my shabalays everywhere possible – restaurants in Ladakh Boudh Vihar (Tibetan Monastery Market), Lajpat Nagar, Humayunpur, but eventually my heart and taste buds clicked on to this not so old restaurant in Majnu Ka Tilla called the Big Apple. Their shabalays are succulent and just of the right consistency. There are two versions of this dish – one is deep fried and another one is pan fried. Both renditions are of my liking and I shall refrain from picking favourites here. Another dish that I simply love is called tingmo – fermented Tibetan bread. I combine it with shapta – a traditional beef dish sauted with spices. A perfect meal.
Top to bottom: The monastery inside the MKT; the Tibetan fermented bread tingmo and deep fried shabalays July 2017
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In India, under the mentorship of the Karmapa, Monlam is celebrated every year Key Ingredients I gave a brief history about Tibet before getting down to food in order to understand the requirement of that region, availability of ingredients and above all the spiritual philosophy of its people. Tibet being a cold mountainous region, it is natural that its cuisine would have lots of ingredients from yak – be it yak milk, yak cheese or yak meat. To preserve beef and mutton, the protein is sliced into thin strips and air dried. The cold climate kills all the bacteria in the process and hence the meat can be consumed straightaway. Green vegetables are scarce in the hilly regions; hence you will see very less variety of greens used in a traditional Tibetan dish. Though, some of neat and simple Tibetan dishes can have tinge of greens like bok choi (pak choi) here and there.
Shops outside the monastery makes delicious lapin and they also display a colourful variety of cultural accessories
This, however, brings me to the carbohydrate requirement of the people. Tsampa – a dish prepared from roasted barley flour (pretty much like the Assamese pithagudi or xandohgudi except for the key ingredient – rice) fulfills this gap. It is simple to prepare tsampa and is consumed usually with salty butter tea or milk. However, as simple as it may be to prepare, the consumption has a peculiar style; some of the roasted flour is put in a bowl with butter tea. The concoction is then mixed by rotating the bowl with the left hand and mixing the contents with right. Finally, the mixture is rolled into small lumps and squeeze them into your mouth with your finger. There you are consuming Tibet’s staple diet.
The Great Butter Festival is actually a Butter Lamp Festival where the entire city of Lhasa would be full of butter lamps and butter sculptures like flowers, figurines, birds and animals. It is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month according to the Tibetan calendar. It is believed that the Great Butter Festival of Tibet started in 1409 when the founder of the Gellugpa Sect instituted the Great Prayer festival in Lhasa. This great Prayer Festival is known as Monlam. Catriona Bass in her book Inside the Treasure House recounts her memories of the festival in Lhasa: “Full moon brought Monlam to a close with the Butter Festival – The Offerings of the Fifteenth Day”. The making of sculptured butter offerings originally comes from Bon, Tibet’s pre-Buddhist animist religion but the festival probably dates from the time of the Great Fifth Dalai Lama. During the cultural revolution, China abolished Monlam. However, in India and Nepal, the followers of Tibetan Buddhism celebrate this festival with utmost devotion. In India, under the mentorship of the Karmapa, Monlam is celebrated every year.
Shoton – the Yogurt Festival
Also known as the Yogurt Banquet Festival, it is one of the most important festivals of the Tibetans celebrated to mark the end of the annual summer meditation retreat of the Buddhist monks. In Tibet, it was celebrated right at the end of summer when the grass was lush and the animals would produce milk. Since yogurt was produced July 2017
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Image by Supriya Aggarwal
Blessed is this nation which has His Holiness making India his temporary abode and blessing the land with his spiritual aura wizened old lady with her motherly smile selling dried meat, a few others selling fresh green pok choi leaves – all of them sit on a bench in front of that monastery and spend hours marveling at the beauty of this rich culture.
The narrow lanes of Majnu Ka Tilla shows a miniature Tibet with the bustling shops and rich culinary delights in abundance during that season in Tibet, the participants would offer yogurt to the retreating monks. This festival too originated in the 15th century at Drepung Monastery near Lhasa. Later, it would be celebrated in Potala Palace (residence of the Dalai Lama in Lhasa), Norbulingka (Dalai Lama’s summer palace in Lhasa) where Lhamo troupes would come from all over Tibet to perform. The Tibetan community in exile in India celebrates this festival in spring. In Dharamsala, six troupes from various places in India perform traditional Tibetan opera during this
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festival; though yogurt no longer plays a key role. I guess the Tibetans had to submit to the topography and environment of India.
Coming Back to Majnu Ka Tilla:
One of course sees the changing face of the Tibetan community in India which has blended traditional customs with modern day living. My visit to Majnu Ka Tilla is replete with vignettes of graceful Tibetan women in their traditional attire selling thukpa and momos in the monastery courtyard, cacophony of little Tibetan children playing around the giant prayer wheel, the
As I go towards my favourite eateries through the narrow lanes, I see a poster promoting the first ever Tibetan Metal singer. I also see octogenarians who probably have now given up hope of ever visiting again the motherland they had to leave as a young boy or girl. I also bump into a young Tibetan lad who works for a popular News Channel, filling in for his brother in a cool cafeteria that he runs. I see monks wearing their snickers and craftsmen busy carving out prayer lamps. Sometime, one wonders where this Tibetan issue will converge. Then I am reminded of one thing. We are a blessed land – a land despite its own woes and strife has had the honour to support over 4.5 lakh Tibetans for more than 50 years in counting. Blessed is this nation which has His Holiness making India his temporary abode and blessing the land with his spiritual aura. Tibetans have added a beautiful element into the culture of India. Most importantly, it has given young India its new found favourite snack – THE MOMO.
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The jack of
all fruits
Jackfruit, the quintessentially Indian kathal is a produce like no other and finds mentions in ancient texts like the Charaka Samhita, Susruta Samhita, Jataka Tales and Sangam literature. July 2017
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Jackfruit is consumed in many ways, ripe and raw
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Sanjukta Dutta The writer is a home cook and has been working relentlessly on the lost recipes of Assam, the land of the mystic and mighty Brahmaputra, for over five years.
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here goes a saying that I remember my grandmother often say while planting more saplings in her garden, “you can’t be poor if you have a jackfruit tree at home”. And now when I think of it, I completely understand how precise and well articulated her thought was.
be further debated that necessary steps are being taken to speed up the cultivation of this particular tree for sustainable development and economic expansion especially by the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship, Guwahati. However, these projects and programmes need to scale up to reach its culmination.
The tropical and sub-tropical tree is an underrated delight for many believes that this tree has not got its due. Even though with immense potential – both medicinal and sustainable for many lives, yet it has not been able to find the place that it should otherwise. The tree needs minimal care to grow and is generally found in abundance in this part of the world. The jackfruit can provide a necessary solution to countries facing acute food shortage yet due to limited sensitisation and sustainable development programmes, a rich project to grow this tree in a large scale has not been achieved so far. This can
In Assam, the land where I come from, I have seen the importance of kathal or jackfruit both in the rural and urban homes. A winter delight is to cook a tender, unripe jackfruit into a curry that is more often termed as a ‘vegetarian meat’ for it is cooked as we cook mutton curry. The ripe fruit is another important fruit for us and not to mention that the taste is an acquired one. Apart from the fruit, the whole of the tree is important here as much as a banana tree finds its relevance. Right from the leathery leaves to the hard wood, everything of this tree has its significance.
Jackfruit is fried and cooked like mutton and it can also be pickled
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES It is not just the fruit, the whole tree has enormous medicinal value that one cannot disregard the existence of this wonder tree or the ‘miracle crop’ as it is also popularly known. If we take the fruit into account, it has very high levels of carbohydrates, starch, proteins, calcium and loaded with vitamin A and vitamin C. Because of its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and anti-fungal virtues, the fruit can be a very rich source of natural remedy to many ailments. The fruit is of very low calorie and also a rich source of folic acid. So, apart from the taste of the fruit and the immense medicinal value it has, one cannot ignore the the tree. In Ayurveda also, the tree finds its mention and is relevant for its latex as also for its usage to treat wounds. It is believed that the latex reduces the pain and the swelling from the wound by repairing the damaged tissues. The fruit is an excellent natural coolant and because of its rich dietary fibre, it can cure erratic dysentery and such other chronic ailments.
In Ayurveda, the tree finds its mention and is relevant for its latex as also for its usage to treat wounds
THE TREE AS A WHOLE The tree itself is an incredible species in the plant kingdom in its own astounding ways. The fruit is consumed when raw and ripe in different form and in different places. The seeds are also consumed. People wash and dry the seeds and stock them up for later use. The nutty texture is another exotic delicacy in many places and nations across where this tree is grown. The leaves of the tree again are used widely to make fodder for cattle. The times when grass and other greens are not available, these leaves come as life saviour for the cattle and people whose economy is cattle based. Many farmers have started using the leaves of the plant to make manure by making compost.
Decilious jackfruit shortbread biscuits with cardamom
The wood of the tree are again used for firewood. The wood is considered very hard and strong and hence it is used in making furniture, frames, pillars, etc. Wood carvings are another favourite use of the tree’s produce. Apart from all the above mentioned chattels, people have July 2017
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Jackfruit wine was something that caught my attention during a recent trip to Shillong started making additional value added consumer goods from the fruit. Jams, ice creams, flour from the seeds, chips, toffee, pickles, biscuits, beverages, etc are now attracting both consumers and producers who understand the health benefits of this tree. Jackfruit wine was something that caught my attention during a recent trip to Shillong and I did not think twice before buying a bottle for myself. Though archaeological survey have proved that this tree is indigenous to rain forests of the Western Ghats and gradually, it spread to the other parts of India, South East Asia including Philippines. The tree is now cultivated in Central and Eastern Africa, and is popular in Brazil too. With such minimal care required to grow this
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tree, it becomes easier for cultivators to grow jackfruit tree in a large scale and reap the untapped benefits in every sense of the word. Different places have their own unique ways to use jackfruit and the tree as a whole on a day-to-day basis and each is unique to its own. Some exotic recipes are penetrating into our cuisines and due to its health benefits, it has been accepted worldwide. Though, I have always maintained that the taste of this fruit is an acquired one and one needs to develop a palate for it, yet the value added consumer goods like chips, jams, pickles and biscuits have got into our kitchens and have blended well.
With such asset and goodness all rolled into one power packed tree, it is positively a high time for the government, non-government agencies, farming groups, etc to come together to develop a scheme where jackfruit tree cultivation is encouraged through formats like loan waive, generate easy loans, distribution of farm land, etc. India naturally encourages the growth of this tree and one should tap this benefit to the optimum is now the need of the hour.
recipe
KATHAL TORKARI (JACKFRUIT CURRY)
Ingredients • 500 gm kathal (jackfruit) • 2 no.s potatoes, medium size cut into two pieces each • 3 no.s onion, chopped • 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste • 2 no.s medium size tomatoes, chopped • 4-5 green chillies, chopped (optional) • 2 pieces bay leaves • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder • 1 tsp garam masala powder • Salt and pepper, for seasoning • Oil for cooking (I use mustard oil) • Coriander leaves, for garnishing
Method • Cut the kathal into six pieces and put it into a pan along with water and the potatoes for boiling. Cover the lid of the pan and let it cook in medium flame for about
10 minutes or till the time kathal is cooked (use a fork to check if its boiled). • Once the kathal and potatoes are boiled, drain the excess water and peel the skin off the kathal and potatoes. Allow it to cool. Cut the kathal into bite size pieces and keep it aside. • In a wok, heat some oil and add the bay leaves, chopped onions and the ginger-garlic paste. Keep stirring so that the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. As they turn golden and translucent, add chopped tomatoes. Season it with salt, pepper and little turmeric powder. • As the tomatoes soften, add some water (1/2 cup) and form thick gravy. At this stage, add the boiled jackfruit and potato cubes.
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Add garam masala powder and mix them all well. Cover the wok with a lid and allow the spices to incorporate with the potatoes and kathal. If you require the kathal curry to be with less gravy or dry form, just allow the water to dry up as per requirement and serve hot. In case you require gravy, add some more water and let it boil for some time and then serve accordingly. Add chopped coriander leaves over the curry for a final garnish. Serve hot along with the paranthas or rotis or even steamed rice. Scoop the sorbet out into a glass and garnish it with raw mango and mint sprig.
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DELISH
Pamper your taste buds this monsoon! A season that injects vibrancy in the otherwise mundane life, monsoon is also the time to enjoy some of the most scrumptious cuisines from across the country.
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Different Indian states and cities offer varied tastes in monsoon recipes
Dr Aleema Ali A food enthusiast with nearly a decade experience of writing about food.
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hunder, lighting, drizzles, showers, lazy hours and cozy days. Yes, monsoon is here and so is our desire to munch on lip-smacking dishes. But what makes the season more enchanting apart from the pleasant weather that it offers, is the sizzling and appetising dishes that instantly strikes our mind as the thunder strikes. Rains are often best complemented with hot, tangy and spicy food. Certainly, the combination of monsoon with delectable cuisines is divine. Whether we are indoors or outdoors, a downpour instantly induces a craving for some lipsmacking crunchy delights.
Pakoras from Jaipur
As there’s no love sincerer than the love for food, the next best thing to eating is certainly talking about it. Different Indian states and cities offer varied tastes in monsoon recipes but there are few dishes that are universal favourites. To begin with, ‘rain and tea’ is undoubtedly an inseparable combination. A kadak cutting chai at a roadside tea stall or homemade aromatic masala chai with crispy fried pakoras
evokes a sense of calmness when it is pouring outside. It is a pure pleasure to gorge on hot samosas with various fillings including potatoes, green peas and cottage cheese (paneer), mirchi bhajiyas or pakoras with green pudiney ki chutney and roasted bhutta (corn) rubbed with tangy lemon and chat masala. Hebah Rashid, a food lover, avers, “Different states of India offer myriad tastes and with almost the same ingredients. In the northern part of the country, one thing that definitely has a place in your monsoon memories is bhutta (corn on the cob). Another ritualistic rain food in India is potato fried in different ways. It is munched as crispy-fried discs with khichuri in West Bengal; mashed as chokha in Bihar; mixed with gram flour and fried as aaloo bhujia in Rajasthan and Gujarat.” Moreover, if you get a taste of Bihari cuisine this season, it will be a perfect gastronomic experience. Scrumptious Bihari dishes can savour Anarsa cookie with pistachio and sesame
fillings and keema cutlets taste delicious this season.”
Bihari aloo ki bhujiya
Scrumptious recipes of Uttar Pradesh during monsoons are something worth rejoicing the taste buds of every foodie. One that needs no introduction is litti chokha. It consisting of wheat and sattu with spices kneaded into round balls and dipped in ghee. Wrap your hands around a steaming cup of ginger infused tea when it rains while munching chana ghughni, a spicy and tangy evening snack. Boiled chickpeas fried with onion and spices, along with chuda ka bhuja (flattened rice) make it perfect for a rainy evening. Sultana Khanam, hailing from Gaya, Bihar, says, “Anarsa, a mixture of rice flour and jaggery or sugar, coated in sesame seeds and fried over medium heat until it achieves the perfect shade of brown is a treat for every food connoisseur. Ghati is also our favourite this season, which is a mixture of chana dal (split Bengal gram), lal mirch achaar masala, onion and coriander. You can either deep fry it or roast it on a pan and serve it with ghee seasoning. Khaja, thekua and malpua are also some options.”
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Scrumptious recipes of Uttar Pradesh during monsoons are something worth rejoicing. A traditional seasonal delicacy relished in the state is pathrode or rickwach. This unique dish makes use of colocasia leaves (arbi patta), which are smeared with a masala paste (either made with rice or gram flour or split black gram paste). The leaves are then stacked on top of each other, rolled tightly and either steamed or deep fried and cut into slices when cool. In another version, mint leaves (pudine ke patte) are also prepared with the same recipe. Kishwar Jahan, a cooking expert, shares, “Baphori which is grinded red lentils (masoor dal) mixed with spices is matchless. The mixture balls are cooked on steam and served with garlic and red chilli sauce. These balls can also be added into gravy. Another age-old recipe is chane ki dal ki roti or puri, which tastes best with mutton stew or chutney. Also besani roti mixed with onions, kachori with different
If you are in Rajasthan during monsoons, it is time for Teej festivities. “Any mention of this festival is incomplete without ghevar. A delightful round cake made out of ghee and flour soaked in sugar syrup is peculiar to monsoon season. Many varieties of ghevar can be found including plain, mawa and malai. Treat you palate with the unique tastes of ghevar, gatta kadhi, Jaisalmeri chane, panchmel dal and many more delicacies this season,” shares Jaswant Goyal, a resident of Jaisalmer. Monsoon is a crispy and snacky affair in Punjab too. Gurpreet Kaur from Barnala, Punjab, shares, “On a rainy day, gulgule and shakkar para are great accompaniments to tea, and it can also be snacked on when you are craving something a little sweet. We relish mathia, mathri and kheer poori this season. Gulgule are made by making a batter of whole wheat flour, jaggery or sugar, and water or milk. Small dollops of this mixture are deep fried and served hot or cold. Amritsari fish and choley are Punjabi’s favourite this season. Amritsari batter fried fish is juicy and succulent on the inside while also being spicy.” People enjoying monsoon drizzles while having bhelpuri on roadside stalls is a familiar view in Mumbai. Misal pav is a healthy delicacy originating from the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is made from a mix of curried sprouted lentils, topped with batata bhaji, poha, chivda, farsaan, raw chopped onions and tomato. “Usually, the misal is served with a wheat bread bun. Other popular traditional foods amongst Marathi people include sabudana (sago) khichadi, poha, upma and sheera.
Poha with tea
Down south in Kerala, heavy downpours are welcomed with ceremonies and special foods
Sabudana vada and falooda are also a monsoon special here,” says Nikita Lokhande, a collegian. On the culinary map, most people identify Gujarat with dhokla but there’s definitely much more to the place. Aadarsh Patel, a resident of Ahmadabad, opines, “Methi na gota and dal wadas are quite popular during monsoons. Methu na gota is dried fenugreek rolled into chickpea batter fried to a perfect golden brown colour and that is scoffed down with endless cups of hot masala chai. Amdavadis warm up themselves with hot dal wadas in the rains. Also, we relish fafda and gathiya this season. This season, I crave for shiro, a homemade sweet delicacy soaked in ghee and topped with crunchy nuts.” Down south in Kerala, heavy downpours are welcomed with ceremonies and special foods. “We
prepare yavagu or rice gruel that helps in improving digestion and is consumed with chutney. Shrimps are available in abundance, which is deep fried off the tawa and is made with chillies and spices. Prawn koliwada is a typical fried prawn dish of Indian coastal cuisine. Moreover, a light, tasty and high on nutrients recipe is aviyal. It is a mixed vegetables recipe that involves grated coconut, curd and curry leaves,” shared Satheesh Sahu, an IT professional. Thamarai Kannan, a civil engineer from Madurai, Tamil Nadu shares, “Monsoon is a treat for everyone’s taste buds. During this time, ragi roti, raw rice milk, bonda, raw rice payasam and ragi koozh are few favourites. Ragi koozh (finger millet flour) is a porridge recipe. You can use ragi, onions, chilies and butter milk to make it.”
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Left to right: Falooda; lal mirch masala pickle; pathrode and kolhapuri misal pav
Barsha (monsoon) is the most awaited time in Bengal to find some respite from the scorching humidity Muruku is one of the most famous snacks that got its origin from Tamil Nadu and its name means twisted. Muruku is something to munch on with tea, which is a mixture of rice flour and urad dal with some salt, water, cumin seed, etc. One of the best sweet dishes of Tamil Nadu is the paruppu payasam. It is made by roasting moong dal and cooking it in the pressure cooker. Some jaggery syrup is added to the mashed moong dal and stirred till completely cooked. Monsoon and traditional grandma’s recipes, both are the most beautiful things that can happen to you. Barsha (monsoon) is the most
awaited time in Bengal to find some respite from the scorching humidity. The much anticipated first day of Barsha is generally honoured with the eating of a special meal. Rubaiya Rehman, a food lover from Bengal, says, “The most well-known Bengali dish associated with the monsoon is khichuri, rice and dal cooked together with panch phoran (spices) and ghee. There are of course many kinds of khichuris, depending on what kind of dal is being used. Moreover, as barsha hits the state, Bengalis get obsessed with ilish (hilsa fish). beguni, which is brinjal pakoras and jhuri aloo bhaja, very thinly grated crispy fried potato slices are enjoyed as a snack with masala chai. Also, amer mishti achar is my favourite. There’s also a special seasonal dessert,
which is savoured during the onset of the monsoon called taal kheer. It is sweet custard made from Palmyra syrup, which is sweetened condensed milk and grated coconut.” Like its impressive traditions, Kumaon tops the chart in terms of its cuisine too, especially during the monsoon as the region has endless delicacies to offer. “As harela falls during monsoon season, a number of eatables are cooked at this time. We prepare bade, puri, kheer and cucumber raita on this occasion. However, the special cooking carnival goes on until monsoon is over. Other specialties include pua, which is consumed as a sweet and salty snack. This is prepared by a mixture of flour, bananas and sugar, dried rawa or lobia is soaked in water and served in the form of a tangy chaat,” shares Hema Joshi, a homemaker. The main highlight is panchmel sabzi, a perfect blend of vegetables like brinjal,
potato, ladyfinger, capsicum, Kumaoni radish, arbi and spices. Another reason why this dish is prepared during this season is the abundant availability of these vegetables. Urad daal ki kachori is another wholesome snack best to entertain guests and family, which is ideal to consume during rains. Also, wheat flour halwa is relished as a dessert during this season.” A night full of thunder and lightning, heavy rainfall, a craving heart and an empty stomach. All call for something to match our mood. Chaoba Nigombum, an engineer and food buff from Manipur, said, “Eromba is an ethnic cuisine of Manipur. It is a type of dish made with boiled vegetables mashed with red chillies and fermented fish. Eromba can be made with any vegetable. Soibum (bamboo shoots) eromba is this season’s favourite.”
India’s diversity is clearly reflected in its cuisines too India’s diversity is clearly reflected in its cuisines too. So, if you are anywhere in the country during the monsoons, you will definitely be spoilt for choice by the delectable delicacies available.
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in focus
Bringing the big fish into the net Right from Junkyard Café to Garam Dharam, Big Fish Ventures is instrumental in transforming the dining space of Delhi. In a tête-à-tête with the founder Umang Tewari. 42
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Left: Garam Dharam restaurant; above: the tricolor roti with the curry at Garam Dharam
“The dine out culture in Delhi has always been really nice but with Big Fish Ventures, I wanted to introduce the cult of concept restaurants”
Diana Mehra The writer is the Assistant Editor of Food and Beverage Buzz Magazine and Defence and Security Alert Magazine.
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mang Tewari, the founder of Big fish ventures, forayed into the hospitality industry in the year 2002 and he started the efforts to change the face of Delhi’s dine out culture and pioneered innovative concepts of casual dining and hang out café experiences. Umang founded Big Fish Ventures in 2015 and consolidated all the operations under one investment vehicle. Food and Beverage Buzz: What was it about the dine-out culture in Delhi that drove you to change it through Big Fish Ventures? Umang Tewari: I ventured into the hospitality industry in 2002 with Oxygen – purely out of sheer passion. Hailing from a non hospitality background, it was the food and music scene that inspired me to venture into this foray. I did my MBA from the UK, where I also worked in a cafe for experience and exposure. That experience gave birth to my dream to open restaurants. Initially, I started with investment an of `1.75 crores and started Oxygen, which was a club. The place did fairly well and brought a revolution to the clubbing industry. But after some time, I closed it down as it was not doing well. After that I got back to the restaurant business with Out of the
Box, Raas and Skooter that were my projects in partnership. I believe that if you are passionate about building your dream, then there is no stopping you. It was in the year 2014 when I opened The Vault café in Delhi and this the time when I started to expand my own concepts. My next was the Junkyard café followed by Garam Dharam, Café OMG, The Junction and more. The dine out culture in Delhi has always been really nice but with Big Fish Ventures, I wanted to introduce the cult of concept restaurants. I am of the opinion that customers today step out not only for dal, paneer and roti but for experience. Hence, with Big Fish Ventures, I wanted to bring in the idea of Concept Dining. FnB Buzz: You brought in peppy dining concepts with The Junkyard Café, The Vault Café and others. You are known as an innovator of casual dining, what has been your main source of inspiration? Umang Tewari: Our existing brands are a plethora of different unique concepts. The Vault Café derives its inspiration from the colonial world. It is a vintage industrial ambiance visualised as a storehouse of the British East India Company. The transformative café par lounge bar has been visualised with rustic interiors architecture with colonial influences July 2017
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The Junkyard Cafe to bring in the theme of the Colonial era. Vault is hyper thematic with expressive décor, state-of-art sound and light, and a mouth watering F&B overlay to complement that. On the other hand, my new venture Garam Dharam is surely first of its kind in Delhi. Fun, quirky, lively, innovative and a foodies paradise – are just the few words to describe it. Bollywood’s veteran actor Dharmendra is everybody’s favourite and has been ruling heart since his young days, his movies, his dialogues and his songs are legendary and keeping this in mind, I thought to give the capital its first restaurant inspired from the veteran actor. Junkyard Café is the most quirky place of Delhi, it is made from junk yet it is funky. I travel and research a lot. I don’t like to introduce concepts which are already there. I am blessed to be able to execute my ideas. The Vault was an idea that I bring after I got inspired seeing a vault-like door on my travel. Similarly, Garam Dharam is a product based on my obversation that people like to stop over at dhabas for meal. So each place has an inspiration and authenticity.
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Food, drinks, ambience and events are the four major elements which contribute to success of restaurants
Momos, the way it is served at Umang Tewari’s cafes
FnB Buzz: Please tell us more about the Big Fish Ventures. What are your expansion plans and how do you plan to execute them? Umang Tewari: The current food service industry is the most dynamic one. It has the room for all and offerings from all parts of the world. Food, drinks, ambience and events are the four major elements which contribute to success. We plan to go bigger and better in all the four dynamics. Right location, pricing, unique concept, offering – are a few things which we have in mind always. We plan to go bigger and better in all the four dynamics. Big Fish Ventures
is planning to launch over 40 outlets across India and overseas over the next two years. Some of the upcoming café’s are Local Café, Garam Dharam in Murthal, Chandigarh and more.
helpful in giving us all the images of his young days. He only suggested that the place should be as such that all the generations of a family can dine together.
FnB Buzz: Do you plan to go international with Big Fish Ventures? If yes, which will be your first destination? Will you replicate one of your existing brands or create a new one? Umang Tewari: Of course, we plan to go international with Big Fish Ventures. We are exploring Dubai and Canada already. It’s very difficult to choose which of my brand would be replicated in an international market before. Depending upon the space and location we get, I feel all my brands be it The Junction, The Junkyard, The Vault, etc have the potential to tap international market.
FnB Buzz:What do you predominantly focus on for the success of your brand, location or target audience apart from great food? Umang Tewari: The food and beverage industry is always in a state of evolution. Thanks to the much-evolved customers, people like to experiment new things and this gives a way to come up with new and exciting restaurants. This gives me the strength to introduce new concepts and take risks as I know my customers are more evolved now. My main focus is on the concept, once we are sure about the concept, we have our in-house team of chefs, mixologists, etc who constantly work on new menus.
FnB Buzz: How it has been collaborating with veteran actor Dharmendra for the Garam Dharam? Umang Tewari: Phenomenal is the word. Collaborating with him is like you are entering into a partnership with your family member. He is very loving and is protective about his associates – interiors in the Garam Dharam catches my fancy and it keeps bringing me back to it for my meals. Our brainstorming sessions with the actor were the most memorable days. It was nostalgic to listen to the stories of his movie days. He was really
“My main focus is on the concept, we have our in-house team of chefs, mixologists, etc who constantly work on new” menus
FnB Buzz: One thing that has been doing rounds for quite some time is your upcoming café in association with actor and director Arbaaz Khan. Would you like to tell something more about it to our readers? Umang Tewari: Yes, Arbaaz Khan and me have been close friends and we are in talks regarding Dabangg Café, but I can’t talk much about it as of as now. Once we are sure that we do justice to the kind of concept we have in our minds, you could expect something really big on your way.
Left: The Junction at Hauz Khas, Delhi; below: pizza from the cafe
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check-in
Rohet Garh:
tracing the rajput royalty
Rohet Garh, located at half an hour’s drive from the blue city of Jodhpur, is perfect for a trip of relaxation in India.
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he House of Rohet is a family of jagirdars who dotted the scene of medieval Rajasthan for a better part of four centuries. Nearly 400-year-old, the Rohet Garh along with its sister property Mihir Garh take the meaning of experiential
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hotels to an altogether new level. We sat down with the 15th generation of the Rohet family, Avijit Singh as he tells us about the hospitality that has been awaiting guests for centuries. Although Rajasthan is filled with hotels which tend to offer you an insight to
the Rajputana heritage, Rohet Garh is one of rare ones which offers you the comforts of royalty with a hint of rustic feel. Away from the frills and thrills of the city, Rohet provided us with a chance to unwind and connect with the inner self.
Evenings at Rohet Garh will remind you of the luxury of the aristocracy days A huge mural depicting the lives of the royals is placed on the entrance while a lush green lawn welcomes us. Our room was a cosy little place on the ground floor overlooking the lawns. The beds and cupboards reek royalty but it is an oddly placed pillar and a view to the lake that stumps me. A pillar which I suspected is due to the fact that our rooms used to house the steeds of the Jodhpur cavalry. A beautiful baithak looks out onto the lake with ducks swimming in it.
Food at Rohet Garh Chef Sharma cooks up a few specialties of the Marwar area. Overlooking the swimming pool, the dining area offers a breathtaking view of the property. Rabori, kadhi and subzi made with green tomatoes adorn our plate. The laal maas is also present in all its ubiquitous glory. But it’s the sheer opulence of the bar that will make you fall in love with Rohet Garh. Hard desert wood on the ceilings along with the illustrious history of the family being showcased in photographs. Heavy chandeliers and the use of maroon and red complete the look.
Snigdha Bhowmick The writer is a food and travel blogger who writes at www. saltandsandals.com
Rohet Garh is a luxury property that will offer you a unique experience of Rajasthan cooking classes which let you dive down into the nitty gritty of Rajasthani food. Evenings are a whirlwind of colours as puppeteers and magicians enthral you. But it is the equestrian program that will take you to the heights of royalty.
Activities at Rohet Garh
The program is available on request and is tailored to suit the riding capabilities of the guest. There are three types of programs you can avail. The first one is a day ride into the wilderness and visiting the villages of rural Rajasthan. A larger program entails an overnight stay at a desert camp. A royal meal is something that will give you an experience of hunting like the royalty. But it’s the last option I liked the most. We got on our horses and rode to the nearby village of Luni and then to the Mihir Garh fort.
The Horses, aha! Rohet Garh and Mihir Garh offer a unique equestrian experience along with a plethora of other options. These activities include
Rohet Garh is a luxury property that will offer you a unique experience of Rajasthan away from city life. July 2017
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sweet take
Taste the
sweetness of Goa Goans might love their seafood but they simple adore their desserts. We bring to you recipes of traditional Goan sweets so you can try your food tickling hands on them and relish the sweet fruit of your efforts.
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the cooking techniques and recipes of these desserts is a perfect mixture of Christian, Hindu and Portuguese community
I
f bebinca is known as the queen of Goan desserts, dodol is the prince. Right from doce to serradura, kulkul, perad and more, the cooking techniques, style and recipes of these desserts is a perfect mixture
of Christian, Hindu and Portuguese community. Next time you are in Goa, treat your taste buds to these lipsmacking traditional Goan desserts, till then try making some at home with these recipes.
recipes
Goan rosatle fov (Yields 8 portions)
Ingredients • • • •
1000ml coconut milk 250gm jaggery 200gm beaten rice 5gm cardamom powder
Method
Chef Surajbir Singh Specialist Pastry Chef Trainer, Under One Roof Hotel Consultants
• Wash the beaten rice 2-3 times and take it in a vessel. • Add jaggery and 1/2 cup water and cook on a medium heat for a minute until the jaggery is dissolved. • Add the coconut milk and stir well. let it come to boil. • Will take about 2 -3 minutes. Switch off the gas and add
the cardamom powder. • Give it some standing time till the coconut milk gets nicely absorbed by the poha. • After about 15-20 mins, the mixture will thicken up. • Pour in the desired serving container and chill.
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Bebinca with tender coconut ice cream (Yields 8 portions)
Ingredients • 500ml thick coconut milk • 12 no.s egg yolks • 350gm refined flour • 50gm unsalted butter (for brushing layers) • 400gm breakfast sugar • 2.5gm nutmeg powder (to sprinkle) • 2.5gm caradamom powder (put in the mix) • 5ml vanilla essence
For the caramel sauce • • • •
375gm breakfast sugar 90gm unsalted butter 125gm fresh cream 60ml honey
Accompaniment • 8 scoops tender coconut ice cream
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Method • Preheat oven to 170ºC for exact 15 minutes. Before baking, grease a round tin or a loaf pan with butter. • Take a mixing vessel, combine coconut milk and sugar, with the help of electric beater, beat until the sugar dissolves. • Add one egg yolk at a time and beat until they all mix nicely. • Now add flour, beat nicely. • Divide the batter into two parts, one remains as it is and add caramel to the other part. • Pour 100gm plain batter and bake for five minutes. • Now spread some ghee over it with the help of a brush, sprinkle little nutmeg powder and pour the caramel flavoured mixture and bake again for five minutes
• Continue greasing and baking with 1/2 cup batter until all the batter is finished, bake each layer for 5-6 mins. • Allow to cool completely, unmold the pan gently with a tap from behind, slice bebinca and serve warm with a scoop of ice cream.
Dodol
(Yields 8 portions)
Ingredients • 90ml clarified butter or coconut oil • 150gm ragi (soaked in water overnight) • 500gm desiccated coconut • 400gm jaggery • 30gm refined flour • 5gm cardamom powder • 100gm cashew nuts, crushed • 100gm almonds, crushed • 50ml milk • 750ml water • 2gm salt • 5ml vanilla essence
Method • Soak the ragi in water overnight. Grease coconut oil on the serving dish or tray.
• Add 1 cup (250ml) hot boiling water to the desiccated coconut and keep aside for 15-20 min. • Combine desiccated coconut, soaked ragi, jaggery along with water, grind in the food processor until smooth paste is formed. • Now use a mesh strainer or linen cloth to strain the mixture and don’t discard the pulp away. • Keep the strained mixture aside. • Take a wide mouthed heavy bottomed sauce pan, place on low fire, add the coconut oil or clarified butter. • Once it is hot, put the crushed almonds and cashews, saute for a min. • Add the strained ragi, coconut jaggery mixture and keep stirring.
• Be patient and keep stirring continuously else it might stick at the bottom. • Once the mixture starts thickening add the cardamom pwd. • This will take a long while so keep stirring. Once the water evaporates and the mixture is thick and dense. switch off the gas. • Pour the mixture on a greased tray or pan. Allow it to cool, after 15-20 mins, cut into diamond shape. • Can be served both chilled and hot.
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Chonya doce (Yields 8 portions)
Ingredients • 300gm chana dal (split bengal gram without skin) • 600gm breakfast sugar • 375gm fresh coconut grated • 2gm salt • 10gm cardamom pwd. • 25gm clarified butter
Method • Wash and soak the chana dal in enough water for about 3 hours. • Pressure cook the chana dal until soft with just enough water to cook it. • Grind the soft dal with the residual water if any, into a fine, smooth and thick paste • Transfer the paste into a sufficiently wide and thick bottomed pan.
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• Next, grind the scrapped coconut with minimum water as possible to a very fine, smooth and thick paste. • Add the coconut paste, sugar and pinch of salt to the chana dal paste. • Cook on medium heat, keep stirring continuously while on heat. • At first, it is very easy to stir as the sugar will melt and the mixture will have soft, mushy texture. As the mixture begins to thicken, be alert and be prepped up. • Keep stirring continuously and vigorusly. as the mixture starts thickening further, it will slowly start leaving the sides of the pan and you can see the bottom
•
• •
•
•
of the pan while stirring. Add the cardamom powder and stir to mix well. The idea is that the mixture should have the minimum moisture and should start coming together to form a ball. Add the clarified butter and give it a good final stir. Immediately, transfer the mixture on a tray with silpad to be smoothen and shaped with the rolling pin. Roll out the dough with the rolling pin at a thickness of one centimetre, when warm to touch, cut into diamond shape and allow to cool. Cool down the pieces properly before serving.
Serradura (Yields 8 portions)
Ingredients • • • • •
1000ml fresh cream 250gm condensed milk 400gm digestive biscuits 200gm cashew nuts 5ml vanilla essence
Method • In a bowl, whip the cream and when it reaches just before the peak stage, add in the condensed milk and vanilla essence and whip it up till peaks are formed. • Refrigerate for 10 minutes. • Powder the biscuits and cashews in a grinder. Arranging • In a glass, add spoonful of biscuits-nuts mixture making sure all the sides and corners are covered. Then, spoon in the cream. Then again biscuits, then the cream and continue till it reaches the top. • Garnish it with chocolate shavings. Refrigerate till set for about 5-6 hours and serve chilled.
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liquids
The Great
Desi Single Malts There’s much to be said about the spirits of the world but let’s take a look at a few ones closer to home that are making waves. These concoctions will certainly make for some interesting bar conversations.
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I Tanvi Rustagi The writer is India’s first certified woman whisky ambassador.
t all started in the nineteenth century when traders started importing all kinds of British goods to India. Scotch whisky was one of them. At that time, only the high ranking officials and the rich could afford it. It was a thing of fancy and desire to drink a Scotch whisky. Even more than today. But to make it affordable to the British troops and the rest, the genius businessmen started blending Scotch whisky with molasses based spirits. That’s how the Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) was born. Even though today Indians statistically consume half of the world’s whisky and in fact, Officer’s Choice is among the top 10 most selling whisky brands by volume in the world, that’s because of the volume sold in India alone, the Indian whisky category was never really considered whisky to begin with by the rest of the world, especially Europe.
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It was a calculated master stroke by Amrut Distilleries Chairman to launch Amrut Single Malt in Glasgow, Scotland
Amrut Distilleries in Bengaluru, Karnataka That story has changed today. Even though, we continue to produce and sell large volumes of the IMFL and Indian whiskies, there is category of Indian whiskies taking the world by a storm. The Whisky Bible by Jim Murray has been consistently featuring and rating them as some of the best in the world. And not just whiskies, some of the best single malt whiskies in the world. We can give credit to the team at Amrut Distilleries based out of
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Bengaluru, Karnataka. Surrinder Kumar, the master distiller and blender at the distillery points out, “Amrut Distilleries is the pioneer in the successful launch of a true Indian Single Malt in the world with a high acceptability and recognition. Today, we are present with almost 20 expressions in about 40 countries.� It was a calculated master stroke by Amrut Distilleries Chairman Neelkant Rao Jagdale to think and launch Amrut Single Malt in the den of whiskies way back in 2004 in Glasgow, Scotland. Jim Murray
Left to right: Michael John D’Souza; a look at John Distilleries
Amrut didn’t remain the only player in the market and was followed by Paul John Single Malt Whisky featured the Amrut Fusion in the 2010 Whisky Bible as the third best whisky in the world. Surrinder is rather happy to admit, “Yes, I must say that the rating gave us a positive push in the direction of recognition coupled with the best quality standards maintained in the product, and that has brought us to the place we are enjoying at the moment.” But Amrut didn’t remain the only player in the market and was followed by Paul John Single Malt Whisky. A subsidiary of John Distilleries based out of Bengaluru, the Paul John Distillery is situated in Goa because the people at Paul John Distilleries decided that it was the closest imitation of the flora and fauna of Scotland. Not coincidentally, Paul John is also name of the Chairman of John Distilleries whose passion for the dram pushed him to produce one of the best single malts in the world with the help of master distiller and blender Michael D’Souza.
Michael simply says, “Our aim is to become one of the best single malts in the world. In 2017 itself, the Icons of Whisky presented us with three different awards.” Icons of Whisky are one of the most celebrated awards in the world of whisky industry. Paul John Single Malt Whisky received The Best Master Distiller India for Michael D’Souza, The Best Indian Single Malt Whisky and the venerated World Whisky Brand Ambassador of the Year 2017 for Chairman Paul John. The brand whisked away the highest number of wins at the global awards ceremony thus making it one of the world’s top whisky brands to watch out for. But there are reasons why many Indians have not had a chance to get hold of the Indian single malts that we’re talking about here. Michael clarifies three of these concerns. “In India, the first thing for us is the 46 per cent ABV (alcohol content July 2017
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The RAMPUR Indian Single Malt is the third Indian Single Malt and it is gaining its popularity standard according to Scotch whisky) of our products is a deviation from the standard 42.8 per cent and this is seen as an aberration from the standard, hence several representations are needed to explain to the authorities about our purpose of bottling at 46 per cent alcohol to maintain non chill-filtering so that the liquid offers full flavour and taste. Next is the huge disparity of registration fees of bottled in origin single malt brands as against extremely high registration fees for
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our very own ‘Made in India’ product of Indian single malts which is classified under the same category of other mass produced whiskies. And third, since liquor is a state subject and as a result every state we enter into we have to do separate registrations and approvals and this is a time consuming exercise. It has been much easier for the Indian single malts producers to go and sell their products abroad, especially in the European countries because just one application will suffice.
It has been much easier for the Indian single malts producers to go and sell their products
Whatever said and done, the Indian Single Malt is making its name in the world of international single malts. And the third Indian Single Malt has some name. It’s called the RAMPUR Indian Single Malt. Sanjeev Banga, President of Radico Khaitan doesn’t think that name will be a hindrance at all in the international market. “Our distillery is based in Rampur and is called Rampur Distillery, so ‘RAMPUR’ as a brand name was no brainer. And in any case, globally Single Malts are known by their distillery names.” The only thing that is probably missing from the Indian single malt category is the age statement. And that’s also because we’re new in the world of single malt whiskies. But none of the single malt makers are worried about that part. They speak in unison and point out that Indian and global consumer is now well-travelled and well-read and that they are willing to experiment and try new whiskies. It would be great to see a craft whisky industry booming in the world’s highest whisky consuming country. While we have entered the world of whiskies, this is an industry waiting to be explored by the producer and the consumer, alike.
The Made in India single malts are fast catching up for global prominence
What a dream it would be to see the Indian Single malt landscape grow. Michael agrees that this trend is definitely going to get stronger because India is geographically a vast landscaped country with very different climatic conditions and this creates an opportunity to have many single malts across these geographic hotspots which would be conducive to single malt making.” And if you haven’t managed to get your hands on any of these Indian single malts yet, it’s time to find them and try them. July 2017
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opinion
Impact of GST
on Hospitality
After the Lok Sabha passed the GST Bill, one of the industries which will be affected majorly is the hospitality industry.
E
xperts from the industry shares that the implementation of GST will provide an add factor on to the hospitality sector by reducing the costs for customers, harmonising taxes and reducing business transaction costs. The Goods and Service Tax is a hot topic of discussion in any business today. Be it hospitality or pharmaceuticals, people still aren’t much clear about
what is going to be next, about filing processes, how it will affect their P&Ls, etc. It’s a vast topic of discussion and needs an in depth study to understand the slabs, new accounting system and understand its effect on top line and overall industry. With regards to the GST for hospitality, the government has fixed the rates at flat 18 per cent for both ‘food and beverages’ served in standalone air conditioned restaurants and whereas it will be 28 per cent
For the customers it’s a saving. The owners won’t get affected
for the five stars hotel based eateries and bars.
Impact on Diners
Chef Akshay Nayyar Founder & M.D. Gourmet Restaurant Concepts Pvt Ltd
It totally depends on how luxuriously you want to dine. For metro cities, where most of the restaurants are air conditioned, the GST of 18 per cent will be levied. For the five star hotel restaurants, the GST is at 28 per cent will be levied. Now considering present indirect tax structure: Total tax on Food bill is 18.5 per cent (12.5% VAT + 5.6% service tax + 0.2% Krishi Kalyan Cess + 0.2% Swachbharat Cess) Total tax on Beverage is 26 per cent (20% VAT + 5.6% service tax + 0.2% Krishi Kalyan Cess + 0.2% Swachbharat Cess) Considering the above when dining in an air conditioned standalone restaurant, you will save 0.5 per cent tax on food but save a whopping 8 per cent on beverage component.
For the customers aspiring for meals in five star hotels, food bills will be much dearer
Whereas, you will have to shell out 9.5 per cent extra for food bills, 2 per cent extra on beverage bills in five star hotel based restaurants.
How it will affect the owners? Under the current tax regime, restaurant business owners do not get any option to adjust the service tax received from guests with the input of the VAT on purchases. Only the VAT paid can be adjusted with the VAT collected. Example: We paid `100 towards the VAT to our suppliers for purchases and collected `150 towards the VAT, `30 towards Service Tax from customers then in this case, the net VAT payable to government is `50. The service tax of `30 cannot be adjusted which also has to be deposited. However, under the new GST regime, `100 paid towards the GST for purchases can be adjusted against the entire `180 collected as the GST from customers. It will save time and increase the working capital flow. Because of this input, the overall costing will reduce and owners will be able to offer a better product.
To summarise Effect on restaurants: For the customers, it’s a saving. The owners won’t get affected. Effect on 5 star hotel restaurants: For the customers, food bills will be much dearer while beverage bills will be just up by 2 per cent, owners will have to pass on this hike to the customers or cut costs, reduce list prices of menu to absorb this effect. Service charge: Implied by restaurant owners as per their desecration. What the GST is targeted to make need based products cheap. Commodities, services and entertainment almost remain the same and within the reach, luxury becomes more aspirational and expensive! July 2017
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snacky treat
Team FnB
The Snacky
Coconut
To satisfy the food lover in you this monsoon, we bring to you some relishing recipes of coconut based finger foods which you will enjoy making in your kitchens as much as you will enjoy taking a bite. 62
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C recipes
oconuts are Nature’s blessings for the parched summer months. Especially in India, where summers are usually torturous with its heat waves, the cool coconut water keeps us hydrated and brim us with vitality. Other than the summer remedy,
coconuts are also quite snacky. It is used as an ingredient in various lip smacking recipes which are made round the year and especially during the monsoon when the time is ripe for some snacky treats. So, here are some unusual coconut based snacks for your monsoon delight.
NARIEL JHINGA (serves 1 portion)
1
By Chef Binay Singh, Chef de cuisine, Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel
Ingredients • • • • • • • •
150gm prawn 100gm coconut (fresh) 20ml coconut milk 50ml yoghurt 25gm ginger and garlic paste 50gm cashew nuts, broken 5gm lemon zest One green chilli
• •
Pinch of cardamom powder Salt to taste
Method
• Shell, devein and clean the prawns. Wash and pat dry. • First marinate with ginger garlic paste, lemon zest and salt, set aside for 10 minutes.
• Mix coconut milk, powder, yoghurt and set aside again 10 minutes. • Mix rest of the ingredients inside the prawns and set aside for 10 minutes. • Then cook in the tandoori charcoal for a few minutes till the prawns are ready. • Do not overcook the prawns. And serve immediately. July 2017
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COCONUT JALAPENO POPPERS (Serves 2) 2
By Chef Ashish Joshi Executive Chef, Jaypee Siddharth
Ingredients • 30gm grated cheese (processed cheese) • 120gm freshly grated coconut • 50gm roasted corn • 20gm jalapenos • 5gm chilli flakes • 200gm grated boiled potatoes • 5gm chopped parsley • Seasoning to taste
• Flour batter • Bread crumbs
Method
• Rinse and dry the jalapenos. Cut the top stem off. • Slit it in the centre and remove all of the seeds. If required, rinse the inside with some water and set it aside.
• In a bowl, mix all the ingredients except flour batter, bread crumbs and some grated coconut (20gm). • Roll the mixture in cylindrical shape or any desired shape. • Apply flour batter to the rolls and dust with bread crumb and coconut mixture and deep fry. • Serve hot with tomato chilli sauce.
COCONUT CHICKEN BITES (Serves 10-12)
3
By Chef Avinash Jha Executive Chef, Jaypee Vasant Continental
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Ingredients • 3 no.s boneless, skinless chicken breasts • 1 can coconut milk • 1 cup corn flakes, crushed through food processor • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour • 1 cup shredded coconut • 1/2tsp black pepper • 1/2tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1/2tsp cumin • 1/2tsp Caribbean seasoning • 1 cup orange marmalade
Method
• Soak the chicken breasts in coconut milk (in a pie dish) for about 20-30 minutes. • In a separate pie plate, mix corn flakes, flour, coconut and seasonings.
• Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and dredge through the cornflake mixture. Set on greased cookie sheet. • Bake at 220 degree C for 25-27 minutes. • Serve with one cup of orange marmalade properly heated in the microwave, and if desired, stir in finely diced pepper.
COCONUT BASED CHICKEN SUKKA
4
By Chef Naresh Sawartkar, Goldfinch Hotel, Mumbai
Ingredients For Salad • • • • • •
1kg chicken (small pieces) 1 onion (thin slices) 2 cardamom (elaichi) 1tsp salt 2 tbsp cooking oil 1 big coconut (scrapped)
For Masala • • • •
2tbsp coriander (dhaniya) 1\4tsp cumin (zeera) 1\4tsp mustard seeds (rai) 1\2tsp black pepper (kalamiri)
• • • • • • • • •
4 cloves (lavang) 1 piece cinnamon (dalchini) 10 bedki chilies (mirchi) 6 Kashmiri chillies (mirchi) 1\4tsp turmeric (haldi) 1 onion 4\5 flakes garlic 1 small piece ginger 1tsp salt
Method
• Roast both the chillies in a pan and keep aside. In the same pan roast, coriander, cumin, mustard,
pepper, cloves, cinnamon, onion, ginger and garlic. • Grind all the masala items together (fried stuff, salt, tamarind and turmeric) with a little water to make a smooth paste. • Heat oil in a vessel and fry onions to golden brown. Add chicken, salt and cardamom and cook for 10 minutes. Add ground masala and bring one boil. • Add scrapped coconut and boil again. Taste and check if you need to add more salt. July 2017
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quick read
The best of holy basil-
the royal herb
Not only holy basil, widely known as tulsi, a revered, holy plant; it also finds its place in the ancient texts of Ayurveda. Tulsi is found in two varieties in India ie the green coloured lakshmi tulsi and the purple hued krishna tulsi. This monsoon know the various ways to use this magical herb and keep allergies at bay.
H
oly basil is extremely beneficial especially during the monsoon months when people are more prone to allergies. From warding off some of the most common ailments, strengthening immunity, fighting bacterial and viral infections to combating and treating various hair and skin disorders – just a few leaves of tulsi when used on a regular basis can help resolve a host of health issues. 1. Heals Fever and Common Cold Holy basil leaves possess antibacterial properties and they are highly effective in the treatment of various fevers, including malaria, dengue and chronic fever.
2. Treats Respiratory Disorders A decoction of holy basil leaves with ginger and honey is an excellent remedy in treating various respiratory ailments like cold, influenza, asthma and bronchitis. 3. Cures Sore Throat Gargling with lukewarm water which is mixed with the extracts of holy basil is extremely helpful in getting rid of sore throat. 4. Good for the Heart Capable of trimming down the cholesterol levels in the body, holy basil prevents the danger of cardiac weakness and strokes. 5. Anti-stress in Nature Holy basil is an anti-stress herb, which significantly protects your body and mind from the menace of stress and depression. 6. Strengthens the Kidneys Holy basil is an extremely efficient herb that maintains the health of kidneys by fortifying them.
Holy basil leaves work miracles for sore throat and common cold 7. Cures Mouth Infection Leaves of holy basil are excellent for treating mouth ulcers and infections. It is also a good mouth freshener. 8. Curative against Insect Bites A spoonful of holy basil juice or paste of fresh holy basil roots is very helpful in curing insect stings and bites. 9. Maintains Teeth Health For those who suffer from the problems of gum bleeding, bad breath and tooth decay, holy basil can prove very effective. 10. Excellent for Eyes Holy basil has vitamin A in it, which maintains the health of eyes. It averts diseases, like night blindness and sore eyes. 11. Relieves Frequent Vomiting To get immediate relief from frequent vomiting, imbibe holy basil juice with honey and ginger juice.
12. Prevents Cancer Holy basil contracts the blood vessels that nurture cancer-causing tumours and is helpful in treating a number of cancers, including breast cancer. The anti-carcinogenic properties of holy basil also inhibit the growth of oral cancer. 13. Cures Lung Disorder Holy basil also contains Vitamin C, eugenol and camphene which are effective in curing lung congestion and damage caused by TB, smoke, etc. 14. Helps You Quit Smoking Holy basil helps in quitting the habit of smoking. Eat fresh holy basil leaves whenever you feel the urge of smoking. Conclusion: Tulsi can be plucked fresh from the plant for adding it in tea or making kadha out of it. Its leaves can also be used in cooking as it renders an exquisite, earthy and aromatic flavour to food preparations.
legend
Reliving the Nawabi culinary legacy When the gourmet Wajid Ali Shah arrived in Metiabruz over 150 years ago, he changed the way Kolkata ate its biryani and Manzilat Fatima is taking the food to the next level.
Manzilat Fatima
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part from the eternal feel of nostalgia, Kolkata is also known for its food and Awadhi cuisine from the era of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah constitutes an important part of it. We got in conversation with Manzilat Fatima who is the direct descendant of Wajid Ali Shah, the last nawab of Awadh and is busy serving the authentic flavours to people. Here are the excerpts from the interview.
Food and Beverage Buzz: Tell our readers about the culinary legacy you inherited. Manzilat Fatima: I have grown up seeing my mother cook the traditional food. I have some faint memories of my grandmother but one striking thing that I remember was the perfection with which she used to make roomali roti in her white shaluka, a traditional food which is slowly vanishing from our Indian kitchens. She never used rolling pin and used to spread the dough with hands only. But I have learnt the art of cooking from my mother and the one which I learnt when I was very small was shammi kebab.
Supriya Aggarwal
FnB Buzz: Some interesting anecdotes you would like to share. Manzilat Fatima: We have grown up hearing that Nawab Wajid Ali Shah was a thorough food lover and was an important part of the Lucknow royalty where food is known for its delicate flavours and aroma. A class above other cuisines, without belittling other cuisines. But Awadhi cuisine has been shaped by such people, just like them it is filled with nafasat and nazakat just like their art and poetry and overall way of living.
The writer is the Associate Editor of Food and Beverage Buzz Magazine and Defence and Security Alert Magazine.
During those days, Awadhi cuisine had a large variety but now it is mostly confined to a few kebabs, biryani and pilaf. When the Badshah came
“Apart from the Kolkata biryani, dum ki machhli is another interesting dish� to Kolkata (then Calcutta) in 1856, in his entourage there were few cooks as well which shows his interest in his food. Even in Calcutta, the nawab asked his cooks to experiment with local flavours and create new dishes which speak about the intricacy of Awadhi cuisine. In those experiments, one experiment which became popular is to cook biryani with potato, Awadhi biryani evolved in Calcutta. Yes, finances and resources were a constraint when the nawab came here which also led to this culinary invention in order to serve more people within the available resources. Apart from the Kolkata biryani, dum ki machhli is another interesting dish from that era. It is like putting the essence of Bengal in the traditional cuisine of Lucknow. FnB Buzz: How are you keeping the culinary tradition alive? Manzilat Fatima: I am taking one dish at a time and trying to popularise it among the masses. Right now, my focus is on haleem. FnB Buzz: What is your experience and outcome? Manzilat Fatima: I am extremely happy and overwhelmed with the response I am getting. Everyone makes haleem but when it comes from our household, it holds a different perspective. I still use the traditional ways to make the dish and completely restrain from using technology in this. It takes me about four hours to make a portion July 2017
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“With the social media boom and food lovers, Indian cuisine is going through a renaissance”
Manzilat Fatima at a conference of it. One of my aims is to maintain the authenticity and keep alive the rich culinary tradition of Awadh. FnB Buzz: Earlier you used to cook for only friends and family and now you run your own food business, how did this transformation take place? Manzilat Fatima: I used to cook a lot for my friends and family and they all used to praise my cooking. They used to encourage me to do something and I always thought they are saying this because of their love and affection. But few years back, food anthropologist and a dear friend Pritha Sen visited me and tasted the food cooked by me and instantly she decided to do a popup with me. In that pop-up, I realised my own potential with all the praise I received from strangers. But the best compliment came from my father, when he said, “Ab aap khana banana
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seekh gayi hain” (now you have learnt the art of cooking). FnB Buzz: Did cooking come naturally to you or you had to work your way around? Manzilat Fatima: In a way, yes, cooking was a natural flair from childhood but it took a lot of hard work and dedication to learn the authentic food. But yes, I always used to observe my mother in the kitchen and learnt everything from her. I still follow the cooking methods she taught and make sure not to deviate from it even an inch and that I feel makes my food more special and acceptable among the food lovers. FnB Buzz: Do you feel any kind of pressure? Manzilat Fatima: Yes, of course there is a lot of pressure because of the royal legacy that I carry. I also don’t follow any
recipe book and I have not written any of them till now. Everything I cook is from the memories I learnt from my mother. After the pop-up, when I started on my own, I used to very anxious but in the last three years I have moved ahead from that apprehension and now I am more confident. FnB Buzz: Do you think India is slowly losing its culinary heritage? And what, according to you, needs to be done to safeguard and protect it? Manzilat Fatima: If I was asked this question a few years ago, I would have scarily said yes but now things are changing. With the social media boom and food lovers, Indian cuisine is going through a renaissance. But the tourism department of West Bengal should take more steps to promote Awadhi cuisine of Calcutta.
AQUILA ERADICATE SMELLS AND AIR POLLUTION QUICKLY, ECONOMICALLY AND SUSTAINABLY! A range of high capacity wall mounted Ozone generators for all PUBLIC areas Fast, effective, safe
E
radicate smells and air pollution quickly, economically and sustainably with nature’s own powerful air purifier – OZONE. Watership Down Technologies Aquila Series of Ozone generators, powerfully oxidise all smells within minutes. If left on overnight, it will eradicate bacteria and viruses leaving rooms with Pure, Clean Air ready for the next day, all automatically. AQUILA Specifications: Ozone output:
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Dimensions:
3gm - 460 x 160 x 220 mm 5gm - 460 x 160 x 220 mm 10gm - 580 x 260 x 280 mm (w x d x h)
Weight:
5.4, 5.5, 8.5 KG
Ozone is the strongest available air cleaner and disinfectant for treating odours. The Aquila generator uses the Corona discharge system, with ceramics rather than coils. These produce a higher ozone concentration in the 3 standard sizes 3g/h, 5g/h and 10g/h. You could install two or more units in parallel increasing output if required. Allowed to run remotely during the day in public areas such as dormitories, the Aquila will keep smells and odours at bay. Then, when a deep clean is needed when the occupants have left, this can be done easily using the supplied remote control. Filling the rooms with ozone will mean all surfaces will be disinfected by killing off all pathogens. The Aquila is ideal for school classrooms, offices, restaurants, cafés, shops and general public areas. Depending on volume/size of a room, the 10grm model will look after up to 1000 M . The Aquila can be used in multiples to cover larger rooms.
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know your F&B
Various pulses
of India
Pulses have a long and rich history in India. They also come as a staple diet that grows on pods in many varieties. The following listed pulses are commonly grown in India and consumed round the year: Mung beans, garbanzo beans, black-eyed pea, azuki beans, kidney beans, black gram, etc.
Mung Beans Mung beans (also known as green gram or moong in Hindi) are little green seeds that are yellow inside. They have been eaten by Indians for thousands of years. Mung beans are used for both sweet and savoury dishes in Indian cooking. They are eaten whole, sprouted with the skins on and split with the skins removed. In fact, mung dal (split with the skins removed) is one of the most commonly used lentils in Indian kitchens.
Garbanzo Beans Garbanzo beans (also known as chickpea or channa in Hindi) are found in two forms, the smaller dark skinned beans known as desi channa and the larger white skinned beans known as kabuli channa. Garbanzo beans are commonly eaten in India as whole beans, as split lentils and a multitude of dishes are also made with garbanzo bean flour (known as besan).
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Black-Eyed Pea Black-eyed pea (also known as cow pea or lobia in Hindi) have a distinctive flavour and are used round the year in Indian cuisine. They’re used to make curries, dals, papads and fritters.
Azuki Beans Azuki beans (also known as red cow pea or chori in Hindi) have a sweet nutty flavour and are found all the year round. They are used very much like black-eyed peas.
Kidney Beans Kidney beans (also known as rajma in Hindi) have a strong earthy flavour and nice silky texture. They are made into a delicious curry simply called rajma. It is delicious when eaten with rice. It is important to note that kidney beans can be toxic if not cooked properly. They must be pre-soaked and boiled for at least 30 minutes to ensure they are safe for eating.
Black Gram Black gram (also known as black lentil or urad in Hindi) is a little black seed with a white interior. It is very similar to mung beans in size and shape but tastes entirely different. It has also been eaten in India for thousands of years and is highly prized. Urad has an earthy flavour and an unusual thick texture.
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News
Reconnected with nature on World Environment Day The Imperial New Delhi had put together an interesting afternoon for World Environment Day to create awareness on the significance of consuming slow food or home-grown food. On the dais was Sangeeta Khanna – a renowned healing food expert who gave a special talk on the importance and benefits of home-grown fresh fruits and vegetables plucked right from your garden while Khetify – a smart urban home farming solution, edified everyone on the simple techniques to make it possible, right in your backyard. The afternoon concluded with a organically curated Green Hi–Tea spread by Chef Alok Verma, Executive Sous Chef, The Imperial New Delhi.
Chef Vishal Atreya is the new executive chef at JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu Chef Vishal Atreya has been appointed as the new Executive Chef at JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu. With an illustrious career of over 16 years, he brings with him vast knowledge and understanding of the hospitality industry. After graduating from the Institute of Hotel Management in Chandigarh, Chef Vishal started his culinary journey as a trainee with The Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi. In 2010, he moved on to The Imperial Hotel, New Delhi as the Executive Sous Chef. Chef Vishal has also worked with Ananda in the Himalayas where he explored another aspect of food which is related to health and wellness.
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RK Sarovar Portico, Srinagar launches Premium Room Category Boasting beautiful snow clad mountain views, RK Sarovar Portico Srinagar, is a contemporary and elegant retreat for the discerning business as well as leisure traveller. To provide all the travellers and guest more luxurious and comfort stay, Hotel RK Sarovar Portico, Srinagar has launched their Premium Room category in June 2017. Total 18 Premium category rooms are introduced in the property starting at `10,500. Each room has contemporary Kashmiri interior with modern feel. With area of approx. 240sq ft. each room has wider space than normal rooms. Located on higher floors these rooms are meant for family travellers. You can have the personalised facility to check-in and checkout.
Rohit Dar appointed General Manager of The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace Rohit Dar has been appointed as the new General Manager at The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace. Prior to joining The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace, he was the General Manager at Jaipur Marriott Hotel. With a strong record of endeavours, Dar brings over two decades of experience in the hospitality industry, having worked at properties like The Oberoi in Mumbai and New Delhi, The Oberoi Rajvilas, Oakwood Premier Prestige, Bangalore and The Trident Kochi.At The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace, his key responsibilities include overseeing the hotel operations, development and implementation of. He loves to plan his own personal vacation and in his spare time, he enjoys playing golf and reading books.
Listings
Treat yourself this monsoon with effective spa packages at Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel Pamper yourself this season, with our exceptional rejuvenating spa packages from ‘The Spa’ at Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel. Stay in and feel transformed with the new Pick&Mix offer curated just for monsoons. The Spa is a holistic oasis that incorporates ancient Ayurveda practices and aromatherapy into each service for a true awakening of the mind, body and soul. Indulge your body and soul with these refreshing treatments carefully curated for you at to Sheraton Hyderabad Hotel.
Chocolate Buns - a delectable dessert for every chocolate lover! The Chocolate Buns at Papa Buns are filled with creamy chocolate and chocolate chips. Soft-textured, luscious and delicious in taste, the chocolate bun has a crispy crust which is a result of a perfect and fresh baking and is served right out of the oven piping hot with chocolate sauce topping.
Price: `5999 (All Inclusive) Monday to Friday - 7am to 10pm For appointments call: +91 40 4925 1190
Price: ₹109 Availability:Papa Buns, Shop 286, Satyaniketan, New Delhi & Papa Buns, 1st Floor, B, Hudson Lane, Delhi University-GTB Nagar, New Delhi For reservations, call: 022- 61517555
Falafel’s launches a delivery outlet in Mahalakshmi Falafel’s has been Mumbai’s go-to place for the freshest Lebanese fare. After the resounding success of its outlets in Gowalia Tank, Malad, Kurla, Vashi and Thane, Falafels has opened a specialty delivery outlet in Mahalakshmi, where it’ll deliver to a large radius of 3km.
Falafel’s delicious, fresh and healthy fare. Pick up the phone, order and indulge in the guilt-free food of Falafel’s! Details What: Falafels new delivery outlet in Mahalakshmi When: Monday to Saturday
If you’re looking for a big meal, they have some great vegetarian and non-vegetarian combos that’ll fill you up as little as `200!
Where: 36, Evergreen Industrial Estate, Shakti Mill Lane, Mahalaxmi, Mumbai - 400 011
So, stop ordering things you don’t want and indulge in
To Order call: 7045856868 / 704585787
Timings: 11:00am to 6:00pm
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