The First and Only ISO 9001:2015 Certified F&B Magazine in India
Volume 02
Issue 01
September 2017
Food AND Beverage Buzz India ₹150
SAARC countries US $20
Rest of the world US $25
A YUMMYLICIOUS JOURNEY...
HERITAGE LEGACY OF BOHRI CUISINE
celeb talk
PRIYANKA CHOPRA
Anniversary
Editor's note
Sparkling for Eternity
I
t’s our ‘One Year Anniversary’! Time has indeed flown in a jiffy. It’s been a year of excitement, new-found ideas and research. The Food and Beverage Buzz magazine’s platform was created to disseminate the facts, the told and untold stories, and inspirational aspects to create awareness about the F&B world.
The journey of bringing to fruition the magazine has not only been eventful but it has also been full of lessons. To extend the same vision and endeavour, we are shortly coming up with an event, Swad Sanskriti, which will talk about – taste (swad) and culture (sanskriti). From the exquisites of the north and the south to the soulful food of the west and the east and subsequently,
to the northeastern, we have traversed through variety in our pages. With much thrill and ecstasy, we bring to you the First Anniversary edition. In the Celeb Talk, discover the diet secrets of Priyanka Chopra. Much waits to be unfolded as we take you on a tour to knowing more about milk as a product of Indian heritage, about Bohri cuisine and our traditional moulds in the Heritage section. In State Wise, we delectably bring to you the food of Akheraj, Deolia and the Gujarati farsan in the Snacky Treat section. We take a sneak peek at the establishment erected by Steve Borgia in the Legend section. We invite you to let your eyes feasts on the beautiful anniversary cover before you unfold the amazing
features we have in store for you. May this edition inform, empower and inspire you to love food the way we do! I thank you for having been a dedicated reader. The entire FnB Buzz team is truly excited about the future of the magazine and we believe that the best is yet to come. Today, let’s make a toast to our collective well-being and many more years of togetherness with the Food and Beverage Buzz magazine! Cheers!
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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Many more
miles to go
A
s we accomplish the first year of our gastronomical existence, we have embarked upon a beautiful culinary journey… A journey which has taught us what we stand for, how we connect and what food we eat and what we share. This exercise has, in the process, resulted in cementing a beautiful bond with our readers. It is our resolve and endeavour to continue to bring to you such stories which not only make an interesting read but also reflect India’s rich culinary culture. This is our commitment and this is what we will continue to stand for. Our September edition brings to you such stories. We take you on one such journey where the Maharaja of Rewa speaks about Bagheli cuisine which was and has been an integral part of his lineage for centuries and hardly known to the outside world. Gujarat is the land of diverse cultures and is also known for its huge diversity in cuisine. This time we showcase the legacy of Gujarati farsan. We talk about green coffee and tell you about its benefits. The Bohras are a unique Muslim community in India and they have a great culinary legacy, get to know more about their food in the Heritage section. Cooking is not only an art form but scientific too; different methods, different ingredients, different pots, pans and moulds are used in our traditional cooking and we will be talking about the different moulds used in traditional cooking countrywide. We have always showcased people who are inspirational not only as human beings but also relevant to the food and beverage and the hospitality industry. Steve Borgia inspires us with his journey. This is just the beginning and not the end of such stories. Thanks to your support and encouragement dear readers, we surely are moving from inches to inches but the time will come when we shall be moving from milestones to milestones. Happy reading!
Ashish Chopra
Con The First and Only ISO 9001:2015 Certified F&B Magazine in India
Volume 02
Issue 01
September 2017
Food AND Beverage Buzz India ₹150
SAARC countries US $20
Rest of the world US $25
A YUMMYLICIOUS JOURNEY...
HERITAGE LEGACY OF BOHRI CUISINE
cElEb TAlk
PRIYANKA CHOPRA
}
Anniversary
On THE COVER Food and Beverage Buzz has successfully completed one year of publication.
t e
n
ts
Tra dit are a ional mo part n impo ulds rt o herit f the cul ant age o inary f In dia.
10 health
Making India healthy with fortification
12 Inspiring
Akshaya patra: Fighting hunger with technology
14 state wise
From the royal kitchens
18 check-in
History in Carved Niches
20 celeb talk
priyanka chopra
32 heritage
The legacy of Bohri cuisine
04
40 heritage
delish
The white gold of India
Amaranth - the multi-talented grain
Sangeeta Khanna
48 liquids
Wonders of Green Coffee
24
heritage
Of moulds and presses
Chitra Balasubramaniam
52 snacky treat
Gujarati farsan: a food lover’s delight
60 in focus
Travel khana: The maverick of food on wheels
62 special
68
legend
Steve Borgia Creator, Mentor and Developer
Bagheli cuisine: Lost in translation
66 quick read
Buransh More than just a drink
Supriya Aggarwal September 2017
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DELISH
Amaranth-the
multi-talented grain
The rise of amaranth to modern food stardom can be attributed to its gluten-free status but the power grain has always been an integral part of the Indian culinary heritage. 4
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E
very summer holiday, we would look forward to the ramdana laddu wala, an old man carrying a basket full of popped amaranth laddus the size of cricket balls. Those were the days when all the kids would flock to their Nanis’ and Dadis’ place and for us siblings, it used to be a great respite from the strict discipline of school in Chandigarh. Memories were made and life lessons learnt in the company of grandparents and cousins. After four decades, I still remember the taste, the light texture and the slight cold feeling it brought to the palate, those laddus were the finest ramdane ke laddu I have ever tasted. Aslam, the ladduwala was part of my childhood I met every summer at my Nani’s (maternal grandmother) place
in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Much later, I learnt that those ramdana laddus were allowed on fasting days too and that it was good for health. During my days in Banaras in the early 90’s, I discovered the ramdane ka atta and even ramdane ka sattu that was available widely in the shahar area (old city around the ghats), during fasting seasons of sawan month and Navratri. Widely known as the amaranth, it has been hailed as a kosher food that nourishes the body, mind and soul and hence, fit for fasting days. Amaranth is highly nutritious, known for good mineral profile and a great source of plant based protein. It contains eight essential amino acids, particularly high in lysine which makes Amaranth – a complete protein practically.
Image by Sangeeta Khanna
The delectable amaranth breakfast cereal
Sangeeta Khanna The writer is a renonwed nutrition consultant and trainer. September 2017
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Amaranth is highly nutritious, known for good mineral profile been rediscovered in the wake of health food fads, the farmers have started growing it again.
The amaranth grains can be popped to make breakfast cereal or the famous ramdane ke laddu or even savoury trail mixes. When boiled, the amaranth grains can make porridge, khichdi or baby food. The flour of amaranth can be used to make breads, cookies, crackers and cakes and can be mixed with other flours to make everyday roti or dosa.
Top: Amaranth crackers; above: amaranth grains
Sheetal Bhatt, a development professional from Ahmedabad, makes an interesting raab (porridge) using amaranth flour, inspired by the foods of the migrant communities of Gujarat she works with. She documents traditional recipes on her blog therout2roots. Amaranth is a pseudo grain that grows almost everywhere in the country, from the lower Himalayas to the river plains and even in the arid regions. It had lost its sheen somehow in the last three decades probably because people moved away from the traditions of religious fasting and possibly because the other crops brought better benefits to the farmers. Now in the last five years or so, when the amaranth has
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The farmers of Himachal Pradesh have stopped growing amaranth altogether many years back. Raju Bharti, a septuagenarian from a small village Goshaini in the scenic Teerthan valley who runs a home stay, told me about how ramdana was slowly replaced by the cash crops like exotic fruits and garlic. In the earlier days, they used to have specially designed wooden boxes to store amaranth which doesn’t spoil for several decades. Raju Bharti is a collector of those intricately carved storage boxes used for the amaranth seeds. Once, we were trekking in the remote Uttarakhand (Village Agoda) for birding and we saw almost all the mountains in the vicinity covered with a jungle of a fuchsia hue, the crop of amaranth was almost ready, the flowers turned to a deep shade ready to shed the golden seeds of amaranth. The tracks were strewn with the fuchsia inflorescences, finches having a good time snacking on them, indicating a good crop. We were eager to taste some ramdane ki roti during our night camp but got to know that the villagers eat the cheap wheat flour sold through the PDS (public distribution shop) because they have found a lucrative market for this wonder grain, often compared with quinoa for its nutrient profile. I wish ramdana had remained the same grain that everyone enjoyed in its rustic form and not a super food for a chosen few.
r e c i p es
Images by Sangeeta Khanna
Popped Amaranth Muesli
Ingredients • 200gm popped amaranth • 100gm makhana or foxnuts (preferably chopped) • 100gm almonds, chopped • 60gm walnuts, chopped • 50gm cranberries, chopped • 50gm raisins, chopped • 50gm prunes, chopped • Sunflower seeds or melon seeds • Dehydrated coconut • 200gm fresh strawberries, sliced
Method • Get a deep baking tray and mix the popped amaranth, chopped makhana, chopped nuts and sliced strawberries together. • Put this tray in the preheated oven at 150 °C for an hour. Stir the mixture for every 15 minutes and let the strawberries stay coated with popped amaranth grains. • The fresh strawberries ooze out the juices and make clumps of popped amaranth and makhana
•
•
• •
and that is actually a good thing. The flavours come out nicely and get infused in the baking muesli. Keep dispersing the clumps everytime you stir the baking mixture. The strawberries will get completely dehydrated at the end of the baking time. Cool down and then add the dehydrated fruits. Store in airtight jars. Use about 3/4 cup with milk and chopped fruits for breakfast.
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Popped amaranth parfait recipe
Ingredients • 1 cup popped amaranth • 2tbsp unsweetened coconut shreds • 1tbsp almonds, chopped • 1tbsp walnuts, chopped • 1tbsp prunes, chopped • 1tbsp dehydrated fruit mix, chopped • 4tbsp+1tbsp strawberry vanilla preserve • 1.5 cup hung yogurt
Method
Image by Sangeeta Khanna
• Mix the hung yogurt with 4tbsp strawberry vanilla preserve lightly and chill for an hour. • Mix the popped amaranth with the dehydrated fruits and nuts and keep aside. • Take two stemmed glasses (preferably chilled) or any tall glasses and layer these two as desired. Garnish with a bit of strawberry preserve and chopped nuts. Use fresh strawberry slices to garnish if desired. • Serve chilled after 10-15 minutes of standing time. The good thing is, the parfait can be chilled for several hours after assembling. In this case, the popped amaranth gets soggy and soaks up all the strawberry yogurt flavours, making the parfait really interesting, almost like a sundae.
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Image by Sangeeta Khanna
Gluten free ginger and jaggery energy bars
Ingredients • 200gm quick cooking oats • 200gm amaranth flour (ramdana flour) • 180gm butter (salted) • 225gm jaggery • 45gm fresh ginger root
Method • Mince the ginger finely, keep aside. • Run the oats along with the minced ginger in the food processor or mixie jar so it gets powdered nicely. Cut the cold refrigerated butter in
small cubes and tip them all the the food processor and let it all make a dough. • Add the amaranth flour and mix once again. Now add 2 tbsp water (not a single drop more than this) and run the food processor once again to bring the flours together like dough. • Preheat oven at 170 °C, Line a baking tray (12”x10”) with silpat or greased parchment paper,, dump the dough over it and pat it into a thin sheet of even thickness Use a spatula if
required, fill in the corners well and smoothen the surface nicely. Mark the bars using a sharp knife, taking care not to go deep as silpat may get damaged. • Bake for 25 minutes and leave the tray inside the oven for 10 minutes more. Invert it over a large chopping board or a smooth surface. Let it cool for 10 minutes and cut the bars using a sharp knife over the markings. Cool completely over wire rack and store in airtight container. September 2017
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health
Making India healthy with fortification
Diversity is what makes India exceptional. The cuisine as well as the eating habits of people vary from region to region. Fortifying the staples is a step towards incorporating good nutrition to every individual’s diet along with preserving traditional culture.
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ndia is a nation where the culture is diverse, altruistic and deeply rooted, with the different cultures changing with every few miles, there is a continuous change in the food and flavours as well. Our food has rapidly evolved over the past course of years and has gathered many influences. The traditional diets used to provide seasonal produce which offered balanced nutrition. In recent times, however, cooking practices have altered and we have moved away from traditional recipes. This, in fact, has been both a boon and a bane. Practices like cooking in deep set iron utensils that provided some iron to the diet has changed to cooking in non-stick pans. Even though India has increased its food production capacity, yet as per the Global Hunger Index, we are at an alarming 97th position classified by the severity of hunger. Addressing malnutrition in a country like ours requires a convergent and complementary intervention roadmap to maintain food security and nutrition. The importance of optimal nutrition in India needs a multi-pronged and multi-sectoral strategy via its safety net programs in order to improve the health of the nation through successive fiveyear plans. Improvement in the access of food across the PDS (Public Distribution System) has been seen along with improved service delivery in programmes like the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Mid Day Meal (MDM) addressing the growing micronutrient defiencies as a multi-pronged approach including diet diversification, food supplementation, biofortification and food fortification.
Food, in the earlier days, used to be cooked in iron utensils to imbue iron to food
Safe and nutritious food is the foundation of good health One of the most cost effective and proven interventions globally is fortification. Food fortification involves adding small amounts of essential micronutrients, which does not alter taste, texture or flavour of the food, but increases the nutritional value of the food that we eat. There is immense evidence to support that fortification should be adopted in order to create sustainability and access to good nutrition throughout the population. As per Pawan Agarwal, CEO FSSAI, “Making your food safe and nutritious is a task that everyone is responsible for. From the farm till it reaches our plate, everyone has a role to play. As a consumer, it is our choice to choose the best for us and our families. Fortified food is one of the most cost effective and easy way in which you can better your health.�
food adulteration to a more holistic approach of safe and wholesome food. The FSSAI has mandated standards for fortification of foods like wheat, rice, milk, oil and salt as these are commodities that are consumed regularly by the masses. Traditional diets comprise of local flavours and benefits of various seasonal produce, yet due to modernisation, we have altered those diets as per convenience. Fortifying staple is one of the easier ways to bring back nutrition combined with traditional flavours. A logo for fortification has also been notified for the consumer to make an informed choice. Food businesses have started fortifying their products to ensure open market availability for the consumers which has increased over the past year. So, its just a matter of choice to buy fortified products or regular products for the much loved traditional food served along with nutrition added to your food plate. Â So, eat healthy and live healthy! For more information, please log on to http://ffrc.fssai.gov.in/.
Safe and nutritious food is the foundation of good health. The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 made an exemplary shift from the focus on
www.ffrc.fssai.gov.in/fortification
September 2017
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Inspiring
Team FnB
Fighting hunger
with technology Since 2000, the Akshaya Patra Foundation has worked towards reaching more children with wholesome food on every single school day.
T
he Akshaya Patra Foundation is a notfor-profit organisation headquartered in Bengaluru, India. The organisation has become a voice that fights vociferously against hunger and malnutrition in India. It has taken up the humungous task of providing mid-day meal scheme in government schools and government-aided schools. Over the
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years, the organisation has played a crucial role in bringing children to schools. Each day, wholesome meals are served to millions of children across India. Their secret taste maker? The state-of-the-art kitchens of Akshaya Patra. Yes, the organisation has leveraged technology to cater to millions of children. This gesture
of breakthrough innovation and motivation has driven hundreds of government bodies, private organisations and thousands of donors to support the cause started by the NGO. Today, Akshaya Patra is the world’s largest (not-for-profit run) mid-day meal programme serving wholesome food to over 1.6 million children from 13,808 schools across 12 states in India.
It was in the year of 2001 that the Supreme Court of India passed a mandate that “Cooked mid-day meal is to be provided in all the government and non-government aided primary schools in all the states”. Akshaya Patra was also called upon to provide testimonies to the Supreme Court. By this time, the organisation had its reach to almost 23,000 children. It was a monumental phase for India as the Ministry of Human Resource Development – Department of School Health and Education was gearing up to fight hunger and malnutrition in children. Today, Akshaya Patra has kitchens in 30 locations spread across 12 states in India. The organisation has been featured in the Harvard Business Review. The article was essayed by Vijay Govindarajan and Srikanth Srinivas who highlighted the successful aspects of the organisation’s work. The article took to analysis how the foundation harnessed technology to provide food of high quality at the minimal cost. The article states, “Akshaya Patra is a powerful example of a breakthrough innovation.” The miracle that the foundation has materialised is that one can have lunch on an anuual budget of US$ 28. Add an average government subsidy of 50 per cent, and the US$ 28 ends up feeding two children for the year. This is a fraction of the cost of similar programs in other parts of the world. The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an inspiration to every organisation aiming
to fight hunger. Their state-of-the-art kitchens use technology to cook large amounts of food in a short time and keep costs low. These kitchens use steam cooking, which is not only highly efficient in cooking food taking the least time, but also helps vegetables retain their nutrients. The other processes like chopping vegetables, preparing bread, loading containers are mechanised increasing the speed of delivery of food and protecting against contamination. Even vehicles that transport the cooked food to the schools are custom designed to allow for optimal storage and minimal spillage. Akshaya Patra also adheres to high standards of quality in cooking and hygiene that meet the International Standard Organisation (ISO) guidelines. With its intelligent use of technology in cooking and delivery, Akshaya Patra has built a standard of supply chain efficiency. It sources its food from the local markets. For most children that the organisation serves, this is the only complete meal of the day. The meal program gives them an incentive to come to school and stay in school; it also provides them with the nutrients that they need to develop their cognitive abilities and focus on learning. Akshaya Patra is a powerful example of a breakthrough innovation.
All the cooking processes are mechanised, making food at a lower cost and increasing the speed of production as much as feeding more number of children
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state wise
From the
royal kitchens
The culinary traditions of the royal families of our country are slowly being lost to the pages of history. We discover the food of Akheraj Deolia, a small village sandwiched between Mewar and Marwar in Rajasthan. 14
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T Dr Sudipto De The writer is a lover of cuisines from the far east to the western world. He is known as the ‘Hungry Surgical Resident’ amongst his peers. A surgeon in training and a foodie in full.
he princely states of the undivided India have a rich history of culinary exploits. The kitchens of these royal households bore witness to some of the most intricate recipes ever created. These recipes also entitled a complex set of instructions and ingredients. But a major upheaval happened post Independence as these states were robbed of their royal status and their properties confiscated. As these royal families are fading away, so were their recipes which have been passed on verbatim through generations. But a few of these families have their own set of saviours. One of them is Executive Chef Akshraj Jodha who plies his trade at the ITC Hotels’ landmark property at Jodhpur. A 14th generation descendent from the royal family that ruled a small piece of land (82 villages) between the
When wars weren’t fought, hunting used to be the favourite pastime princely states of Mewar and Marwar near Ajmer, his interpretation of the modern Rajasthani food is truly mind blowing. Recently, he cooked dishes from his ancestral village of Akheraj Deolia at the ITC Maurya’s Kitchens of India. But before we jump into the food, a bit of history about the place. Akshraj’s ancestry started nearly 200 years ago. The intense fighting between the two kingdoms of Mewar and Marwar meant Rao Akheraj, grandson of the ruler of Jodhpur had to escape out to a small strip of
Bajra and missi ki roti September 2017
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Left to right: Chicken is cooked up in a curry of amla murabba and hara maas land about an hour drive from Ajmer. This is where he launched a series of guerrilla attacks against his king. But war wasn’t always the carnage we see in today’s world. It was an elaborate setting which was played out in a specific season. In the years in which wars weren’t fought, hunting used to be the favourite pastime. The first vestiges of the game food probably started off from the hunting parties of yore. As they could only carry minimal items like salt, chillies and clarified butter were the only ingredients of the famous junglee maas. We start off with some lamb shanks that have been modified with flavours of Rajasthan. It is a gamut of sour and heat flavours that combines with the umami. We may have heard quite a bit about the laal maas but this is the first time I have a crack at the hara maas. The chicken is cooked up in a lovely curry of betel leaves
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a Rajasthani meal will never be complete without a spicy meat dish
and chillies. The betel leaves provide it with an earthy flavour while the chillies give it a jolt of heat. “My mother is from Gujarat and that has led to the incorporation of a few Gujarati flavours to our thaali,” Chef Jodha adds up as his next dish makes us experience Gujarat in its truest flavours. The chicken is cooked up in a curry of amla murabba which gives it a definitive sweet taste that is very uncharacteristic of food from Rajasthan. But a Rajasthani meal will never be complete without a spicy meat dish. The kale mircha ka murgh adds a sense of heat that was missing as the thick curry whettles down the spice from the black pepper. “The dry nature of the land prevents much of the vegetables to grow which is compensated by the use of gram flour.” Chef Jodha enlightens us as he goes gaga over the versatility
of besan (gram flour). He also tells me the story of how the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, chose chana as the only ingredient he was allowed when he had been imprisoned by his son at the Agra Fort. The activities at the villages also correspond to the harvest seasons of the chana. Just after the harvest, preparations are made for converting it into a myriad of textures, including the papad. That papad finds usage in this menu with a stuffing of potato. The spicy mixtures burst through the layers of earthy flavours, so associated with the chana papad. “Even the concept of traditional cuisine is an ever changing one. What you call experimental today will become part of the tradition few decades down the line,� Akshraj drops a bomb on us by taking up the example of tomato. Although it has never been a part of the Rajasthani cuisine half a century ago, it is now one of its integral parts. Experiments with
moong dal halwa has made its mark amongst old Delhi foodies tomato have created a newer form of the traditional laal maas. The semi arid region also produces cereals which have a lesser water content like baajra and corn. We try out some baajre and missi roti along with the curries that we eat. One of the classic ways to eat these beads is to let the curries soak in to moisten them before consuming. But the vegetarian sojourn doesn’t end here. The sookhe gulab jamun ki sabzi and the khatte aloo are typical of the kingdoms of the area. The sourness which is imparted by the yoghurt plays a major part in cooling down your body during the scorching summer months. We end off with a hare moong dal ka halwa. Although, the moong dal halwa has made its mark amongst Old Delhi foodies but
the green moong dal imparts quite a unique flavour to the halwa. The Rajas have long gone and their kingdoms are also slowly turning to dust. What remains is only a speck of remembrance passed down generations. The cuisines of medieval and ancient India are something that you must try out before they disappear in the pages of history.
check-in
History in
Carved Niches Much like its history, the Jehan Numa Palace Hotel presents a charming medley of colonial style, princely Indian culture and unexpected modern trendiness.
N Sharmila Chand The writer is a freelance journalist and author based in New Delhi. She is passionate about writing on food and lifestyle. When not writing, she is delightfully occupied with meeting chefs and tasting good food.
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estled in the tranquil Shamla hills of the city of Begums, is the charming heritage property the Jehan Numa Palace. The interiors, ambience, music, food and service give you a whiff of everything royal in an ethos of elegance. There is a fine synergy between the traditional warm hospitality and the modern comforts. The boutique hotel is a hidden gem and an oasis of calm in a peaceful neighbourhood. In 1983, Nadir and Yawar Rashid, the grandsons of General Obaidullah Khan and the owners of the Palace, decided to share their legacy with the world and thus started the ethos of serving the ‘Royal Living’ to the guests. Today, the iconic Palace Hotel with over 100 rooms consist of six suites
that open into green courtyards or balconies overlooking lush gardens, the swimming pool and the riding track. The rare fusion of Nawabi hospitality and contemporary comfort goes hand-in-hand at Jehan Numa with the state-of-the-art amenities: a pool, spa, restaurants, gardens, bar, gym and a salon. Fine dining is central to the Jehan Numa experience – gourmet cuisine keeping in mind the Nawabi tradition. I thoroughly enjoyed my breakfasts at Shahnama, a multi-cuisine restaurant at the Jehan Numa Palace Hotel. Here you get a fine selection of Indian, Oriental and Continental cuisines. For an authentic Italian meal, La Kuchina has been getting great reviews. I was floored by its traditional Sicilian style décor and delicious food.
the boutique hotel is a hidden gem and an oasis of calm However, my favourite is Under The Mango Tree. A very charming restaurant located, as its name suggests, under an ancient mango tree in the central courtyard of the property. Dining in the open verandah with fluted colonial pillars besides a lush green lawn was a memorable experience. Away from the noise, take your corner at The Shergar Bar, named after the famous race horse owned by Aga Khan, and unwind after a hectic day. This cozy corner in the hotel with its colonial style décor is reminiscent of an era gone by. For catching up with friends is the lively Cafechino – a trendy Café and patisserie. My favourite corner for coffee breaks!
Left: The luxurious Chakra Spa; right: The lavish pool at the Jehan Numa Palace
You may not like to hit the Fitness Centre but do not miss a splash at the outdoor swimming pool. The 25 metre pool is a delight to swim in and also to lounge by and it is lined by palms, banana trees, champa, bougainvillea and other greenery reaching to the
charming colonial balconies of the Imperial rooms. Sit in the garden and do some bird watching as I did in spotting Pied Cuckoo. Well that’s not enough, you can even see the Palace’s four thoroughbred horses being exercised at the track around the pool early in the mornings and late evenings. How could I not indulge at the luxurious Chakra Spa? A 90-minute holistic therapy was the perfect way to call it a day. Staying at the palace gives you a glimpse into history while satiating your desire for natural beauty, luxurious stay and complete relaxation. It truly is a sophisticated urban retreat with modern and personalised comforts.
ACCESSIBILITY Air – The nearest airport is Raja Bhoj Airport, at a distance of 15km. Rail – Bhopal Junction Railway station is only 7km from the property. Road – Bhopal is well-connected to all the major cities of the country. From the national capital Delhi, it is almost a 14-hour drive to Bhopal. Location –Jehan Numa Palace 157, Shamla Hill, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh - 462013, India
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celeb talk
“I am ashamed of my midnight snacking!” - Priyanka Chopra
The first non-white to play a lead in an American TV show or being India’s first singer-actor to have also made it big abroad, the first Indian actress to own a Rolls Royce – Priyanka Chopra has always believed in, as her father advised her, “to break the glass ceiling, instead of trying to fit into a glass slipper”.
T
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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hrough her successful film career, Priyanka Chopra has become one of the highest paid Bollywood actresses and a smash success on the international scene as well. As Alex Parrish in ABC’s new drama Quantico, this exotic beauty leads multiple lives as an actress, GUESS’s It-Girl and popsinging starlet, and now a producer to reckon with, riding the wave to super-stardom. Her production house, Purple Pebble Pictures, seems to have singlehandedly taken on the cause of regional cinema in India. Her recent Marathi film Ventilator won three honours at the 64th National Film Awards. Going by the way she looks, it is hard to believe her when she declares, “I love eating!” Here’s more from a chat she called “delectable” because of the subject being discussed. Food and Beverage Buzz: What is food to you? Priyanka Chopra: I am a total foodie!
My friends and family will vouch for it. The love for good food is something I inherited from my father. Like him, I am always open to try out new cuisines and experiment in the kitchen with cooking as well. The ‘Piggy’ in my nickname comes from the fact that I love food! FnB Buzz: I am sure you are always hassled with questions about your diet, then how do you still look the way you do? Priyanka Chopra: Yes, because I don’t know how to answer! I don’t really have a diet. I wing it by the seat of my
Priyanka Chopra September 2017
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dresses were so tight I could not breathe in them – but you have to be in a certain shape. Of course, the boys especially worked out insane, and I remember Zac working on his resistance bands in between takes. I would emotionally eat because I would feel guilty that I was not going to the gym as much or I that I was not as focused. It started making me feel terrible, so I used to get hungry just looking at them and overcompensate for my guilt. FnB Buzz: Ate what? Priyanka Chopra: Anything! Pringles with caviar, fried chicken, pecan pies, doritos. You name it, I was eating it! Mango is a favourite with Piggy Chops
“I hate weights but love resistance training” pants. It’s such a girl thing to do, like if I feel, “Ughh, I put on a few pounds” and I feel gross about [myself] I suddenly start having salad, protein and soup. Otherwise, if I am feeling like I am in great shape I am okay with cheeseburgers and pizza. So, when someone asks me about my diet, I feel terrible saying that I don’t really have one. FnB Buzz: What do you feel about dieting? Priyanka Chopra: I don’t feel anything! That’s it! (laughs) Yes, I do work out, I try and burn it off and a lot has to do with my genes and metabolism. You should have seen me on the sets abroad! Even Zac (Efron, co-star in Baywatch) used to keep cursing me because I literally hogged. I was so lucky I didn’t have to be in a swimsuit – of course, my
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FnB Buzz: But what is it that you do to stay in shape? Priyanka Chopra: I am not a gym freak! Like, I won’t run to the gym after stuffing my face. But when I know I need to be in shape, I will work out – at least thrice a day. Short durations but high intensity. I hate weights but love resistance training. It really works for me. I never ever miss out on yoga! If I am unable to practice my morning yoga routine, I am listless through out the day. FnB Buzz: Any childhood memories around food? Priyanka Chopra: I remember the sarson ka saag and makki di roti, quintessential Punjabi food that Mom cooked for us. Also, as a kid, I loved Bourbon biscuits. Mom would bribe me with Bourbon biscuits when she wanted me to drink my glass of milk. FnB Buzz: What are the food habits that you would like to change? Priyanka Chopra: Midnight snacking! I am really ashamed to admit it! And the worst bit is that it is mostly the stuff one should not eat – like a piece of cake or a
“Since I am addicted to sugar, I love kulfi and ras malai also” bit of cheese! The other is of course, my sweet teeth – I have not one, but a whole set. (Laughs) Give me anything: red velvet cake, hot chocolate fudge, jalebis, cakes… FnB Buzz: Are you sure you cheat every day with food? Priyanka Chopra: I don’t torture myself! I can’t. But yes, I don’t eat shamelessly always. Even if I put on weight, I usually need just about a week to lose it. That is when I watch what I eat. During those days, breakfast is two egg whites or oatmeal with a glass of skimmed milk. Lunch means dal, veggies and two rotis with salad. I sometimes snack on sprout salad or Turkey sandwich. And dinner is usually soup followed by grilled chicken or fish along with some sautéed veggies. I also am addicted to coconut water – that is a natural and brilliant diuretic and helps flush out toxins. FnB Buzz: What sort of food do you like? Priyanka Chopra: Indian and Italian.
I am very fond of risotto. I eat quite a bit of junk when I am indulging myself. Burgers and French fries are a great combination. I also enjoy chicken and mutton biryani. But if I want to keep it simple, then it is fish curry or curd-rice. I love Tandoori food also. I also cannot resist aloo paranthas – but make sure they are not fried – because I relish them with ghar ka makkhan. Having lived in Mumbai for so long, pooran poli is also something that comforts me so much. Since I am addicted to sugar, I love kulfi and ras malai also. FnB Buzz: You are known to experiment a lot with food also. What is the weirdest thing you’ve eaten? Priyanka Chopra: Mopane worms, in Zimbabwe, where I was on a trip with UNICEF. I wanted to go out and have local food and the UNICEF reps from the Zimbabwe team took me out that night and I ate some amazing food. There were all kinds of stew but one of the delicacies was Mopane worms. They’re fried worms. It was crazy and
Priyanka has sweet teeth and she is practically involved with everything sweet insane, but I ate it. They were rather nice to taste. FnB Buzz: Where do you like to eat out? Priyanka Chopra: At the moment, I have had my fill of eating out (laughs). I would much rather eat at home for a while before I begin to rediscover what’s new in Mumbai. Please don’t try and tempt me with offers of pasta because I may just take you up on those! In Mumbai, it is Olive. New York has several restaurants, which serve very good Italian food. I like dining out with my friends and bonding with them over great food. September 2017
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heritage
Of moulds
and presses India is a land of diversity and our food comes in various shapes and sizes. Let’s take a look at the moulds which shape the food which are served today.
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C Chitra Balasubramaniam The writer specialises in food, textiles, travel and heritage writing.
ulinary arts abound, apart from the process of cooking, combining it with interesting ingredients and spices, the art of beautification of food is paramount. Yes, it should look good. To aid to cooking are a range of moulds and presses which have been in use in India since times immemorial. There is no record of who invented it? When did it begin? It, however, finds its use in many homes without any change in the design. The mind does wander to the Indus Valley civilisation where a host of seals were found. What were they used for? Is it possible they were at times used to imprint food? No one has ever researched the culinary skills of that era. Barley, wheat and rice
To aid to cooking are a range of moulds and presses used since times immemorial have been unearthed from earthen jars, which grows to prove that grains were a part of the diet but were seals ever used to decorate any sweet? We will never know the answers but can only conjecture about. Usually, it is the hand which played the role of moulds and presses. The
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paramount if the murukku has to take shape. Slowly just like ice cream oozing out of a softie machine, the fingers deftly turn the batter twisting and turning it into circular formation. It is a wonder how for weddings, women would make these with as many as 10 to 15 rounds. My mother was an expert at it. Another similar tradition in Bengal is that of nakshi bori. Boris are lentil dumplings which are sun dried. These are fried and used with vegetables and dal. This nakshi bori is done by women and is extremely fine almost like an art. The bori dal is shaped into fine designs and sun dried. This is then fried and eaten. It is the humble hand which does it. Shaping of gujiyas, jalebi, samosas and sandesh are all hand skills.
It takes a lot of dexterity to make moulds for murukku
One of the most common moulds is the kulfi mould – matka kulfi...these come in various sizes most obvious example of this is the murukku made in Tamil Nadu. This was a skill which almost all women acquired. Today, however, machines are available for murukku and the hand murukku is called kai murukku (kai meaning hand) or that made by hand. The right consistency of the dough is
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The build of namkeen makers
So from where did the concept of mould and presses come in? As is with many other Indian traditions, it is neither documented nor has anyone bothered to find out. Craftsmen making the moulds will simply say I am the fourth generation making it, which does not give any information on how the concept started. Nevertheless, I try to list the moulds that one can see. These are so commonly used that no one gives it a second thought. In foreign countries, moulds for mamouls and ginger breads are all celebrated and the artist is reckoned with. Alas, here that is not the case. The materials with which the moulds are made are interesting – it is made out of mud, wood, metal and of course, leaves and shells. One of the most common moulds is the kulfi mould – matka kulfi. These come in various sizes. I have had sandesh flavoured kulfi in 3-inch moulds. The opening is sealed which is deftly opened by the seller. One simply digs into the matka to finish the kulfi. The
concept of using mud is, it is a natural coolant. It is eco-friendly and is not harmful. Also, it is biodegradable. The use and throw concept ensured that the potter’s wheel kept turning out more and his profession continued! One press used in south India is the nazhi for making snacks. The entire range of snacks – ribbon pakora, tenkuzhal, omapodi‌are made using these. The nazhi has two parts the lower portion which holds the dough is made of bronze (though it is steel which one can see commonly today). It has plates which are circular and which fit into it. Each plate is meant for making a particular item. One has sieve like holes, another star shaped ones, another with just two long incersions so that the dough can come out long. The press for the dough is made out of wood. The dough is put into the lower cylindrical
bronze holder and it is pressed using the wooden press directly into the oil. The only problem with this is that bronze is breakable however, as a metal, it is excellent for cooking. It does not corrode and can be washed repeatedly. The wood used in the presser portion is again seasoned so it does not expand when it comes in contact with water. The same nazhi is used by women to make vadams and karvadams (kachris and pappad) during summers. The interesting shapes which can be coaxed out of this are mind boggling. The equivalent which I have seen in the north and west India use a rotary concept where a screw type press works on a smaller cylinder. The number of plates is the same. It is called namkeen makers. Another press used in south India is the sevai maker (sevai is fine noodles akin to noolputtu or idiyappam). Here
The cracky achappam
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The idli vessels are again moulds for steaming as is the kuzhi appam or paniharam or appe moulds in ready-to-cook packs of instant sevai which is used by everyone. The good old tradition of using the press is relegated to the background.
Top and above: Nool puttu and kuzhi paniyaram
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the base was made of wood while the press which coaxed the dough out in very thin tiny strips was made of bronze. Variations abounded, after wood it was made in iron and then finally in steel. Today, it is available
The idli vessels are again moulds for steaming as is the kuzhi appam or paniharam or appe moulds. These were made in iron and bronze. Today, non-stick versions are easily available. A very interesting snack is prepared in Kerala using the leaves of the jackfruit tree. The leaf is washed and brushed with oil. It is then folded into a cone. Into this, the batter of rice flour, jaggery with bits of jackfruit is poured. It is sealed with the open portion of the cone and held together with a small tili or bits from the coconut frond. It is then steamed. The sweet is served with the leaf, which is opened and eaten. It is hygienic, eco-friendly and biodegradable. The taste of the leaf also permeates into the food. The same concept is used in the making of kotte idli or kotte kadubu from Udupi. These are made using the leaves of the jackfruit tree. The shape of the idli is more spherical. Small sizes coconut shells are used for making idlis. Banana leaves are also used similarly. The kuzha puttu, named because it is cylindrical in shape, was initially made using bamboo hollows. The Northeast also uses bamboo to vantage. However, the use of wood was reserved for making sweets. How can one forget the sandesh moulds?
The delectable thenkuzhal Sandesh moulds were initially made of stone. Today, these are collector’s pieces priced at fancy rates. It is made but who remembers the humble stone maker of these wonderful sweets. Today, plastic and silicone moulds are available but the treasured ones are the wooden sandesh moulds. These are still made and come in some wonderful shapes. The wood used is seasoned well and treated properly so that it does not spoil when it comes in contact with water. It is not polished but just finished with oil since it is used for edible purposes. The sandesh is placed into the mould and pressed hard and taken out. Teak, saghwan or good local wood is used. In south India, especially Karnataka, sakara acchu are used to make sugar toys akin to khilona that one sees in the north India for Diwali. The moulds are beautiful as they capture everything, from florals, leaves to birds and animals. The range is mind
The moulds are beautiful as they capture everything
The mould to make modaks
boggling. The moulds are easy to use and clean. The recipes for this vary with each home. The thekua moulds of Bihar are similar where the thekua is pressed into the mould. The mould is a neat contraption as it holds three or four designs and this can be used to vantage or creatively in the sweets. A recent trend has been the use of blocks traditionally used for printing textiles on sweets and cookies. Since
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The crispy ribbon pakoda the designs are numerous, the play on sweets is interesting. So, one has paisleys, florals, mughal prints along with that of birds and animals. Makers of the moulds, whom I have spoken to, insist that they do not polish the moulds since it is used in cooking. It is finished on a lathe machine and rubbed with oil. No account is complete without the mention of modak makers and gujiya makers. These were first made in wood and then metal (thick aluminium). They have patterns made into the mould which brushes on to the gujiya or modak. Another mould used in Kerala is the achappam for making a daintily fried sweet dish. It is dipped into the batter which flows into the crevises and then dipped into the oil. Namak pare cutters come attached to a spoon. They are used to give shape to samosas as well. Apart
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from this thals, sieves, belans are all used to give shape to sweets, snacks and pappads according to the whim of the maker. What though is disappointing is that the shape of the moulds has remained the same. The thekua moulds come in precisely two or three designs only. The achappam moulds come in only in three or four designs. The sakara achu and sandesh moulds come with plenty of variations. Have you ever wondered, why are idli steamers all with round shapes, never square, rhombus or even spherical? Similarly, the nazhi comes with four or five attachment sieves with limited designs. Of course, one can use it imaginatively. There has been little or no design developments in these kitchen aids we use them in the same rotating
manner as it was designed. Some bold product designing will add more to the repertoire of moulds and presses. Design development might just kickstart these age old arts of snacks and sweet making at home.
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heritage
The legacy of
Bohri cuisine
A family that eats together stays together and so does a community. The Bohri community – a small sect of Ismaili shias, go by this maxim. A close-knit community that believes in the power of togetherness in everything they do. 32
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Tasneem Dhinojwala The writer is an avid blogger who is based out of Delhi. She is a trained filmmaker. Apart from these, she is an avid foodie too.
A
peek into the dining area of a Bohri home or their community hall will leave you with a sense of wonderment. From their seating arrangement to eating habits, everything is unique. A round or a square cloth mat called safra is placed on the floor. A group of 7-9 people can sit around it for their meals. A steel tarakti is placed on the centre of the safra. On it is placed a big steel thaal with a lavish spread of sweet and savoury delectable dishes. A thaal can have a five to seven course meal consisting of unique and unheard recipes capable of giving any five-star meal a run for their money. Before the thaal is placed, the people seated are made to wash their hands out of a chilamchi-lota by the host. The sitting posture aids in the digestion of food. The meal begins with a pinch of salt and a small verse from the Quran. The salt is supposed to kill the bacteria present in the mouth and the Quranic verse gives the spiritual touch. Unlike other meals, a Bohri meal begins with a sweet dish. It is followed by a delicious, dry non-vegetarian platter, either chicken or mutton. Till a year back, there were two sweet dishes and two dry non-vegetarian
Unlike other meals, a Bohri meal begins with a sweet dish, followed by a delicious nonvegetarian platter platter before the main course began. But the community’s recent nowastage policy has restricted both to one. The sweet dish can range from mouth-watering hand churned ice-creams to extraordinary halwas (pineapple, dates, ground gourd, potato, figs to name a few). The nonvegetarian platter that leaves your taste buds wanting for more can be of shammi kebabs, dabba gosht, lagan seekh, minced meat samosas and stuffed tandoori chicken. There are many chutneys, pickles and salads that adorn the thaal along with the main dishes. They are equally palatable and savoured with the rest. The next course is eaten with rotis, either rumaali, naan, lachcha paranthas or gakhar. Gakhar is similar to the Rajasthani baati but a little bigger in size. These are served with appetising September 2017
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the meal is rounded off with mouth-watering sherbets dishes either of mutton or chicken cooked in finger-licking gravies. Paya, butter chicken, khichda, chicken in white sauce, mutton raang – the choices are many. The last course of this scrumptious spread is equally delicious. From bohri biryani, paaya keema khichdi, sola khichdi with sarki, kari chawal, dal chawal palidu to dal gosht – there is not a single dish that you cannot savour. Each of these can titillate your taste buds to a point of no return. By the time you finish the meal, you would be full beyond imagination but not satiated. Most of the time, the meal is rounded off with mouth-watering sherbets (mostly mocktails), lassi, chaas or paan icecream. Fruits and mouth freshening condiments are served as well. The meal ends with another pinch of salt and a thank you to the Almighty for the blessing in the bounties of the lavishness just experienced. It is not only the taste but also the aroma, the presentation and the variety of the Bohri dishes that will leave you bewildered. The dishes are so varied in terms of fragrance, texture, look and taste, all your senses will be involved when you will indulge in a Bohri meal. The Bohri food has distinct features of the land that it now calls its Top to bottom: Mutton samosa and the spicy kebabs
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own, Gujarat. It has adapted many vegetarian Gujarati fare, added meat to it, resulting in some mind blowing amalgamations. Dahi besan kadhi with meat balls, mutton patvelia (colocasia leaves cooked in besan), chikolia (non-vegetarian version of dal dhokli). The Mughlai taste has also been retained in many of their dishes, mainly the kebabs and tikkas. The Bohri biryani is quite similar to the Kolkata biryani. The main difference is in the cooking technique – the kachcha meat is cooked along with the rice during the dum period. And it is a little spicier. Apart from the standard recipes of most of its cuisine, the Bohri food also adapts to the region wherever the community resides. The Bohri food of the Malwa region is extremely hot and spicy. The Maharashtrian and Gujarati influence is already evident. The famous dal chawal palidu (lentil rice and soup), a main course dish cooked in happy occasions, has drum sticks and kokum as part of the main ingredients. The Bohris have made immense use of the global phenomena in their dishes as well. Do not be surprised if you find a sizzler platter, khow suey, manchurian and lasagna in a Bohri thaal. There are some dishes with a historical touch to it. The much loved Bohri hashmo dates back to the time of Prophet Hashim. Hashmo is a dish where all the dishes are combined together and eaten as one. The delicious mutton raang was preferred by the Prophet Mohammed and has stories around it. The famous sweet dish malido (made of wheat flour, jaggery, ghee and dry fruits) was started by Syedna Ismail Badruddin Saheb, the 34th Dai al Mutlaq. The feeling belongingness
of and
community brotherhood
Gosht paya (top); Lachha parantha and Jalapeno stuffed chicken breast (above L-R) that the thaal stands for was taken a step further with the Faiz ul Mawaid Burhaniya (FMB). Begun by the late His Holiness Dr Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, FMB reaches out with one meal every day, to each Bohri
home everywhere in the world. Cooked in the community kitchen of the respective towns and cities, it is a three-course meal that promises wholesome nutrition, taste, love and blessings for all that consume it.
recipe
Dabba Gosht
Dabba Gosht is a delicious, melt-inthe mouth boneless mutton delicacy that is difficult to resist once you have tasted it. Try out this succulent dish to know what it actually is all about.
Ingredients 1/2kg boneless mutton pieces 100gm boiled macaroni 4 eggs – 3 raw and 1 hard boiled 1 onion finely chopped 2 tomatoes sliced 1 capsicum, cut into thin pieces 3 green chillies 1tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves • 1tsp cumin seeds • 2tsp ginger-garlic paste • 2tbsp tomato ketchup • • • • • • • •
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• 1tbsp chilli sauce • 3tbsp ghee • Salt and pepper to taste For the white sauce • 1/2 cup milk • 2tbsp corn flour • 1tbsp butter
Method • Boil the mutton with ginger garlic paste and very little water. Once the meat becomes tender, drain the stock and keep aside. • Heat butter in a pan. Add corn flour without burning it. Then add cumin seeds and slowly pour milk. Make sure not to make any lumps.
Now add capsicum and mix. Add the mutton stock and stir. Once a thick gravy forms, add the sauces, salt, pepper and coriander leaves. Add the boiled macaroni and mutton and mix. • In a deep mould, pour some ghee. Put cellophane paper over it. Pour some ghee on the cellophane as well. Put the mutton in white sauce and sprinkle the hard-boiled eggs over it. Make a layer of tomatoes on top. Pour beaten eggs over this layer and then pour boiling ghee over it. Repeat the layer of beaten eggs and again top it with hot ghee. • Heat the oven on 180 degrees and bake the mix for about 20 minutes.
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heritage
The white gold
of India
From the vedic times to today’s world, milk has been a connecting thread that binds the entire country. 40
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Rasmalai with its golden hue
I
Avantika Bhuyan The writer is a freelance journalist and has been writing on food, art and culture for more than a decade now.
f statistics are to be believed, India is the biggest producer of milk in the world, accounting for 18.5 per cent of the world production. In 2014-15, it achieved an annual output of 146.4 million tonnes. If one was to go beyond the figures and delve into the colourful world of myths and legends, folktales and fables, one will find an inextricable link between milk and the sociocultural fabric of the subcontinent. Most of us have grown up on stories about the Kshirasagara manthana or churning of the ocean of milk, which led to the release of Halahala, Amrit and the Kamdhenu, among other things. According to the legends, the ghee made from Kamdhenu’s milk was used by sages for yajnas. If one could pull away from this pensieve of stories and move towards the world of archaeology, one will find countless mentions of milk in
According to the legends, the ghee made from Kamdhenu’s milk was used by sages for yajnas the Harappan period, when cows, sheep, goats and buffaloes were domesticated and their milk was used to make curd and butter. Colleen Taylor Sen, in her book Feasts and Fasts: A History of Food in India, mentions that some regions of Harappa, such as Sahiwal, relied on buffaloes for their milk needs – a practice that continues till today. With higher fat content than cow milk, it was considered better for making ghee and yogurt. The use of milk continued to evolve over the September 2017
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Rice pudding
Over time, milk and ghee became important parts of our rituals and traditions
Payesh or also popularly known as rice pudding
years and one can find references to it in literature from the Vedic period, before 800 BC. In his book, A Historical Companion to Indian Food, KT Achaya mentions that at this time, milk was used fresh, boiled or mixed with soma juice. Sen too writes about the role of milk in the Vedic Indian diet. “Milk was cooked with parched barley meal to make a porridge called odana,” she states. Yoghurt was also flavoured with honey or mixed with barley to create a dish called karambha, similar to the modern Indian rice. Over time, milk and ghee became important parts of our rituals and traditions as they were considered auspicious and pure. Achaya mentions
in his book says that milk dishes such as kshirika, when made in a particular sequence, was considered pucca food and when made otherwise; it was called doodhbath – a kaccha food. The tradition of offering milk at temples still continues. Sen cites the example of the Murugan temple in Palani, Tamil Nadu, where the palani pancamirtam – a thick, dark jelly-like substance, which is offered to the deity at night with milk and distributed as prasada the next day. During Mahashivratri, one can find devotees offering milk, honey and water to the Shivalinga at temples. Milk has also found its way into Jain writings which “contain detailed rules about how and when food should be taken. Milk
must be filtered and boiled within 48 minutes of the cow being milked, yoghurt should not be more than a day old unless it is mixed with raisins and other sweetening agents,” writes Sen. Centuries later, in the 15th and 16th centuries, cooks from royal palaces realised that they couldn’t do without milk to craft delicate desserts and fragrant drinks. According to Achaya’s book, one such mention can be found in the Padmavat, in which a feast is said to have included the kandara or sweetened milk solids. The cooks from the Mughal kitchens too began to reinvent and innovate with milk. One such unique dish which emerged from the royal kitchens was the falooda, one of Emperor Jehangir’s favourites. Another dish which was invented at that time was the kulfi. In her book, The Penguin Food Guide to India, Charmaine O’Brien states, “Among the smorgasbord of sweet items that finish a Mughal feast was the kulfi, an iced confection made from thickened milk mixed with sugar, nuts and saffron, poured into conical moulds and frozen in a mix of ice and saltpetre – a substance India had plentiful supplies of.”
Right: The ubiquitous yoghurt; below: Indian sweets made from solidifying milk
The Europeans too made full use of the rivers of milk that were produced in India daily. Besides the ubiquitous cheese and butter, they began to make use of milk in some rather unique ways, such as in punch! Achaya mentions a delightful recipe from Madras, dating back to 1823 in which milk was used alongside lemon rinds, arrack, brandy or rum, lime juice, nutmegs, sugar and water. Today, one can find myriad ways in which milk has seeped into regional cuisines. At one point of time, roots and greens were cooked in it in Karnataka – a practice that has now September 2017
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or rasiya in Bihar. There are various milk dishes that are associated with festivals. For instance, in Tamil Nadu, it is a tradition for married women to make Pongal with newly harvested rice, milk, jaggery, cashews, ghee and coconut. And of course, no Bengali feast will be complete without sweets such as chhanabora, khaja, malpo, sandesh and rasmalai, made with milk, partly thickened milk or khoya. In most parts of India, milk forms part of the morning breakfast. For instance, in parts of Assam, Bengal, Bihar and Odisha, muri or puffed rice is had with milk and bananas. “The second breakfast staple is the dahi chooda. On special occasions in Bengal, people mash the sandesh into this. And in Assam, a variant of this is made with the kumol saul, which is served with sweetened milk and curd,” mentions Tanushree Bhowmik, a development professional who documents and revives old recipes and ingredients through Fork Tales.
stopped. But some culinary practices have continued through the millennia, one of those being of payasam, variants of which can be seen across the country. There’s rice payasam in Karnataka, a special one made by the Nairs of Kerala during wedding feasts, and in Bengal and Assam, this sweet concoction is known as payesh. The same is the case with kheer – a fragrant rice, milk and sugar dish – which is known by different names in various states, such as the bakir
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Top to bottom: The mouth-watering payasam and rabri
In most parts of India, milk forms part of the morning breakfast
There’s also an interesting dish of doodh phara, a steamed rice dumpling soaked in milk and saffron, which is made across households in Chhattisgarh. I first got to know about this preparation two years ago from the executive chef of The Gateway Hotel, Raipur, who had been putting up traditional Chhattisgarhi dishes on the menu. Another state which shares a sweet tooth with Bengal is Odisha, which is known for its milk desserts. “There’s chhena jilli made in Nimapada from cottage cheese and soaked in light sugar syrup or the rasabali, in which deep-fried, flattened reddishbrown patties of chhena are soaked in thickened sweet milk. Then there’s kheer gaja, a deep-fried milk pastry,” Chef Anees Khan of Mumbai-based French Patisserie, Star Anise, told me last year after finishing a road trip through the state.
It’s not just sweet but savoury dishes that are prepared with milk as well, the most prominent of these being the tabakmaaz or lamb ribs poached in milk and the gushtaba or meatballs cooked in yoghurt from Kashmir. Then there’s the ubiquitous kadhi, made using chaach, in households across Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat. There are certain traditional dishes around milk which have gotten lost over the years. Sumeet Nair, who has been trying to revive old recipes by documenting them in books and on yummefy.com, is still looking for a reference to dodi, a drink containing milk, ghee and sesame seeds. It seems to have disappeared into obscurity. Food writer and restaurateur, Osama Jalali, seems to have had better luck in reviving some of these lost milk dishes, one of these being the gosht ka halwa. Some years ago,
he ran into an 82-year-old man, Masoom Ali, at Delhi’s Turkman Gate and he told him that his mother-inlaw used to make this dish for him. But even after copious research, he couldn’t find a reference to it. “Finally, I met a fourth-generation khansama, who said that he had heard about it. I got the ingredients – sugar, mutton and more, and tried it at home,” he told me during a conversation about revivalist cuisine. Jalali made this in three stages, by boiling the mince with milk, sugar and cardamom. It is not just the milk of cows, buffaloes, goat or sheep that is used across India. Several tribes and pastoral communities manage their dairy needs through the breeds indigenous to
It’s not just sweet but savoury dishes that are prepared with milk
the region such as yaks and camels. In fact, there is a mention in texts from Emperor Jehangir’s reign about the milk of wild antelopes being used to treat asthma. According to Niteen Patil, Director of the National Research Centre on Camel in Bikaner, the local Raika community
The Brokpas of Arunachal Pradesh and tribes from Spiti and Ladakh rely on yaks for milk
Milk was used to make sweet dishes even during Mughal feasts
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has had knowledge of camel milk since time immemorial. There is a popular folklore that the Raikas were mandated by Lord Shiva to look after camels. Today, the camel count within this pastoral community has gone down drastically and it is to protect their livelihood that organisations such as Camel Charisma have started marketing camel milk, ice cream and soaps made by the Raikas. The Brokpas of Arunachal Pradesh and tribes from Spiti and Ladakh rely on yaks for milk to make butter and cheese with. The chhurpi made with yak milk has now found its way into the fine dining space as well. Then, there is the Ladaki gurgur cha, “so called for the sound that is made when the tea, hot water, salt and dairy products used to produce this drink are churned together in a long tube creating a vacuum that disperses the fat globules of the milk and butter into the hot water,” writes O’ Brien.
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liquids
Wonders of Green Coffee Green coffee beans have emerged in the recent years as one of the most popular supplements and weight loss products available in the market.
T Aditya Goel COO Greenbrrew
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he history of coffee dates back to hundreds and thousands of years. Coffee has been one of the regular beverages for people all across the globe. But the advent of green coffee is one of the latest introductions to the beverage industry. It became famous when it was mentioned on the Dr OZ Show as a magic potion for
weight loss. It is prepared from green coffee beans, which are basically raw and unroasted coffee seeds (beans) of the coffee fruit. It is observed that the roasting process of coffee beans actually reduces the amount of the compound known as chlorogenic acid. Since, green coffee beans are unroasted;
coffee in its natural green form has lesser caffeine content
they have a higher level of chlorogenic acid as compared to the regular coffee beans. Furthermore, coffee in its natural green form has lesser caffeine content, which makes it healthier. Now, green coffee has become quite popular when it comes to weight loss as it is believed to burn fat pretty fast.
But there are some other benefits as well of this magic potion. • Obesity: Research shows that obese adults who take a specific green coffee extract (Svetol, Naturex) five times daily for 8-12 weeks, (either alone or together with the regular coffee product Coffee Slender; Med-Eq Ltd, Tonsberg, Norway), can help September 2017
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GreenBrrew green coffee has come up with three different flavours (Original, Lemon and Strong)
•
•
Green coffee is known to have several health benefits
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in losing an average of 2.5 to 3.7 kg more weight as compared to those who take regular coffee by itself. Weight Loss: For weight loss, chlorogenic acid present in the green coffee is thought to affect how the body handles the blood sugar and metabolism. And this is something, which actually affects your weight. High blood pressure: Research suggests that if someone takes green coffee extracts daily (that contains 5 mg to 140 mg of chlorogenic acids) for 4 - 12 weeks, they can reduce blood
•
pressure. Systolic blood pressure (the top number) is reduced by 5 mmHg to 10 mmHg. Diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) is reduced by 3 mmHg to 7 mmHg. Well, that’s what the research had to say. Diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and bacterial infections are some of the other diseases that can be cured with green coffee beans.
The Current Trend of Green Coffee
Green Coffee, at present, has become one of the most popular health supplements. Not only this
Serving green coffee as a beverage is catching up as a popular trend
Green coffee is considered as a revolutionary product supplement has the potential to make you healthy, it’s also organic in nature. Plus, they really work. There are a lot of brands available in the market that are manufacturing green coffee in the form of pills. But unfortunately, people don’t get the benefit of consuming green coffee as a beverage.
believed that green coffee is making its great impact all over the world. The market is expanding at a very high speed. Green coffee is considered as a revolutionary product, which is crossing regions such as America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East and Africa.
GreenBrrew green coffee has changed this trend and it has come up with three different flavours (Original, Lemon and Strong) for the coffee lovers and for the people who want to lose weight, drinking green coffee as a beverage and following a proper diet plan to get the desired body shape.
Indian Tradition Towards Coffee
According to recent studies, it is
In the Indian context, coffee growing started with an Indian Muslim saint, Baba Budan who, while returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca, smuggled seven coffee beans (by tying it around his waist) from Yemen to Mysore in India. He planted them on the Chandragiri Hills (1,829 metres
(6,001 ft), now named after the saint as Baba Budan Giri (‘Giri’ means ‘hill’) in Chikkamagaluru district. It was considered an illegal act to take out green coffee seed out of Arabia. As number seven is a sacrosanct number in Islamic religion, the saint’s act of carrying seven coffee beans was considered a religious act. This was the beginning of coffee in India. Currently, India is one of the largest producers of coffee beans in the world, in fact, the sixth largest. In states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, people like to start their day with coffee since generations. The café and restaurant culture in India has made coffee more popular, especially among the younger generations who socialise over a cup of coffee. Seeing this trend, many international coffee chains have joined the scene. September 2017
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snacky treat
Gujarati farsan
a food lover’s delight
Gujarat, the land of dhokla, ganthiya, garba and Gandhi, is home to a plethora of delicacies, which will leave your tastebuds dancing with varied flavours.
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s a culinary historian and a food maverick who travels anywhere for food, I could not resist myself from writing about the widely popular Gujarati snacks pan India, known as farsan. Gujarati cuisine, a vegetarian gourmet’s paradise amongst other cuisine, is incomplete without talking about the farsan or snacks. The local farsan consists of such a wide and rich variety of delicacies that one can pen a complete book on it.
The Gujarati naashta which about every two hours in a Gujurati home is not only about the widely popular khaman, dhokla, khandvi, khakra or thepla, but it also has a rich lineup of other snacks like fafda-jalebi, ganthia, muthia, surti locho, bhajias, gota. However, not much history is available about the delectable snacks and that is what my constrained
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effort is now being a culinary historian. The earliest mention of the word dhokla can be traced in Gujarati Varanaka Samuchaya (1520 CE). Also, dukkia, a pulse-based precursor of the dhokla, is mentioned in a Jain text dated to 1066 CE. As Gujaratis are globe-trotters and their business has spread globally right from Africa to America so has the farsan with them which makes them feel at home wherever they go. Most of these snacks are travel-friendly and have a long shelf life. For instance, khakras are crisp wafer-like rotis made from wheat, methi theplas or accompaniments or dhebras made from a mix of flours can travel better than rotis. The most interesting element of Gujarati farsan is that there is no one defined taste or flavour to it. Gujarati
Ashish Chopra The writer is the Senior Consulting Editor of Food and Beverage Buzz Magazine.
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The delectable batata vada
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cuisines vary in flavour and other aspects with different regions; the most distinct being the ones from Surat, Ahmedabad, Kachchh, Kathiawad and North Gujarat. Every food joint, every household, every community and every city in Gujarat can give its own distinct flavour and taste to the same khaman-dhokla, thepla, khakra, khandvi, ganthiya, handvo or bhajia. Besides the vegetarian dishes, the Muslim community, the tribal groups like Bohras and Khojas offer special non-vegetarian cuisine. And also Saurashtra’s garlic spice mixture – a combination of garlic, red chillies and salt pounded together, adds the extra zing to lot of Gujarati food. It is estimated that nearly 70 per cent of people in Gujarat prefer eating outside
their homes at least twice a week and a majority of them love eating at the roadside eateries. Interestingly, the uniqueness about Gujarati snacks lies in its different flavour, taste, aroma and texture. Much detailing goes into creating a balance of taste and textures – you could have coarse, grainy, granular, smooth, uniform, dry and wet dishes on the same platter, the sweetness, bitterness, sourness and heat of each main course would vary between the dishes. As the region remains quite hot and dry in summers with temperature soaring to around 50°C, ingredients like lemon, tomatoes, salt, sugar
Das Khaman in Ahmedabad, had its origin from a door-to-door street vendor in 1920s and jaggery are used commonly in preparing different dishes to avoid dehydration. Most of the snacks are made out of a variety of flours which taste spicy, salty and tangy with a hint of sweetness derived from sugar or jaggery. The cooking style of Gujarati food is also quite unique. While some snacks are stir-fried or deep-fried, others are steam-cooked and then vaghar (chhaunk) is added to it to enhance flavour of the dish. One of the best ways to know a state is to explore its cuisine. For any foodie, a food trip to Gujarat is a must to experience the vibrant and distinct flavours of Gujarati snacks. The platter with countless elaborate styles of cooking and unique dishes is as welcoming and colourful as its rich and diverse culture.
city square in Old Ahmedabad. Surrounded by historical structures, it is a vegetable market in the morning, a bullion market in the noon and the street food market at night. If Manek Chowk is for vegetarian food lovers, then Bhatiyar Gali is a nonvegetarian paradise at the heart of the vegetarian city of Ahmedabad. Famous for its 600-year-old tradition of mouth-watering non-vegetarian delicacies, Bhatiyar Gali offers TavaBiryani, Bheja Masala, Chicken Angaar, Kabebs, Kheema Samosas, Chaap Fry, Bhuna Gosht. You name it and this Gali will serve you the most authentic and sumptuous preparations.
Khaman-Dhokla Available across the country at farsan shops in a semi-sweet version is known as Khaman dhokla, which is a far cry from authentic ones available in Gujarat, its place of origin. Khaman was invented by the Kathiawadis of Saurashtra as a smooth version that is known as nylon khaman. Khaman dhoklas, the spongy delight is a mainstay of Gujarati cooking and is a farsan can be eaten anytime be it before, during or after a meal. It’s made from Bengal gram flour using
a method similar to the preparation of its south Indian cousin, the idli. While idli is prepared from rice batter, the dhokla is made with a fermented batter of rice and split chickpeas. Das Khaman in Ahmedabad, had its origin from a door-to-door street vendor in 1920s to a must visit and an immensely popular eatery selling 17 varieties of Gujarati farsan. When I spoke to the young Kunal Thakkar, who is the 4th generation owner of Das Khaman said, “We Gujaratis not only love our food but worship it. Food makes us happy which only increases our productivity in whatever we do. My great grandfather started selling vaghera khaman-dhokla prepared by his wife Nanduba door to door way back in 1920s. But it was my great grandmother and grandfather Mohanbhai, who shaped Daskaka nu Khaman into a brand name after Daskaka took sanyas. Today, we sell 12 varieties of khaman including pizza khaman and fried khaman. Other popular snacks include patra, khandvi and sev khamani. Gujaratis love variety and hence, we also offer faralli versions of dhokla and khaman made from rajgira, moraiyo and sabudana
Holding on to this rich food culture and guarding the secret recipes of some of the lip-smacking snacks are some heritage snack eatries like Ahmedabad’s Das Khaman, Raipur Bhajiya House, Induben na Khakra, Ganthiyarath, Ambika Dalwada, Surat’s Gopal Locho, Harihar Farsan, nariyal patties, sev khamani, variety of dhoklas, Jagdish Farsan in Vadodara, Jamnagari kachori. There are even localised versions of the pizza. Another must visit for street food lovers is the Manek Chowk, a notable September 2017
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Uttarayan is incomplete without eating fafda-jalebi flour. We keep experimenting with the flavours and ingredients to invent new variety of khaman dhokla.�
Surti Locho Surti locho, a type of khaman that was concocted by accident has become synonymous with Surat. Locho in Gujarati literally means gadbad (trouble) and this version was actually a disastrous dhokla recipe. But the cook added ghee and spices to this khaman gone wrong and instantly became a hit among the Surtis. The trick lies in the steaming as unlike other khaman, locho is a collapsed cake. Locho is usually served with a special chilli pickle and chopped onions. The Gopal Khaman House in Surat, are the pioneers who created the famous Locho also prepare different variations of locho.
Fafda-Jalebi Almost any celebration, right from a good appraisal to the kite festival, Uttarayan in Gujarat, is incomplete without eating fafda-jalebi, a combination of both savoury and sweet. Together, this combination is a match made in heaven. Consisting of two parts, this snack combines fafdas, a crunchy, fried chickpea flour snack along with jalebis, a sweet deepfried pretzel made of wheat flour and dipped in sugar. Not exactly made for the health conscious, the fafda jalebi combination is an interesting experience for the taste buds and is served in many places in a folded newspaper along with green chutney, some shredded raw papaya and (Top to bottom) Fafda-jalebi, locho and gathiya
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Thepla served with raita
No Gujarati travel story or picnic is complete without the ubiquitous and healthy thepla onions. Almost every street corner in Gujarat, especially Ahmedabad has a lot of shops selling these. On weekends, usually we see huge queues outside farsan shops, indulging in this heavenly combination for breakfast.
Ganthiya Another popular tea-time supplement that is bound to delight a foodie is ganthiya, a crunchy street food snack found widely throughout Gujarat. Made out of besan, the dough is blended and twisted by the vendor before deep frying it. Sometimes, it is served with fried green chillies and different kinds of
chutneys such as spicy green chutney or sweet chutney.
Thepla No Gujarati travel story or picnic is complete without the ubiquitous and healthy thepla, a thin paratha made from gram flour, whole wheat flour, fresh fenugreek leaves and spices. Any Gujarati or non-Gujarati who have resided in Gujarat for long will swear by this on-the-go yet filling naasta, which can be gobbled down with a cup of steaming hot tea or with fresh curd, pickles or chundo, sweet chutney made from shredded raw mango. September 2017
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Left and above: Khandvi and Khichu
Gota is Gujarat’s very own pakoda dish made from gram flour and fenugreek leaves Khichu Khichu is a simple, spicy and delicious healthy Gujarati snack. This steamed rice flour street food is very famous in Gujarat. Khichu is actually a dough used to make rice papad or khichiya and hence the name. It tastes delicious with achar methi masala and oil.
Khandvi Another snacky delight is the mouth watering khandvi, which has thin layers of gram flour cooked with buttermilk and rolled up in mushy goodness with a seasoning of sautéed sesame seeds and a few other spices. Although this immensely popular snack is loved by all, this dish is a little tricky to cook, especially getting the consistency of
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the batter right. Light on the stomach and pleasing on the tongue, khandvi can be a perfect breakfast item or a delectable evening snack.
Gotas, Bhajias, Dal and Ponk wadas Each state in India has its own version of the golden, crispy, yummy pakodas (fritters) and Gujarat is no exception. For a non-Gujarati, methi nu gota, bhajias, dalwada can be easily considered different versions of the very popular pakodas, but not for a Gujarati. He or she will immediately tell that methi nu gota is soft and fluffy unlike the crispy bhajias and dalwada. Usually, it is the consistency of the batter of besan that plays a
key role in making these different pakoda versions. Gota is Gujarat’s very own pakoda dish made from gram flour and fenugreek leaves. Originating from the village of Dakor in Gujarat, gota is a traditional dish made from besan and fenugreek leaves in many Gujarati households. Easy and fast to prepare and having a soft texture, it also makes for a delicious evening snack, especially when it is raining outside. Gujarat offers a wide variety of bhajias including methi bhajiya, aloo and kanda Bhajiya, Tameta Bhajiya, Ratalu Bhajia. The 96-year-old Raipur Bhajia House located near the Raipur gate in old
Ahmedabad is a classic example showing how a distinct and tasteful offering attracts food lovers from all walks of life and age. Says Subhasbhai Patel, owner of Raipur Bhajia House, “My father started this business from a stall at this same location with the same three item menu that includes methi bhajia, batata bhajia and batata vada. The main reason people come back to this place is its consistency in taste as well as quality. We have closely guarded family recipe for making these bhajias. I can only say that we prepare our own raw material including besan flour, masalas and oil to give the original and authentic flavour to Raipur bhajias.� Dalwada, a specialty of Ahmedabad, was made popular by the street vendors and made more famous by one vendor, Ambika Dalvada. Ponk Vadas, a winter dish that Surat has the monopoly over. This perfectly crisp Jowar grain fritters are just irresistible. Ponk vadas are served with spicy Sev (Vermicelli) and green chutney.
Muthiya Muthiya, named after the action that is used to shape the dough make for a great breakfast or evening snack. To prepare these, a mixture of chickpea flour, bottle gourd spinach or fenugreek leaves and spices is prepared, steamed, pan-fried and seasoned. Soft and fluffy on the inside, golden and crispy on the outside, no one can ever say no to a plate of muthiya. One can relish this healthy snack with a dash of mintcoriander chutney or ketchup, and a cup of steaming hot tea.
Handvo Handvo, essentially a savoury cake is traditionally prepared over charcoal or in a pressure cooker. To prepare handvo, a batter of lentils and rice is prepared and fermented overnight,
The delicious Gujarati bhajiya and then baked, followed by sesame seed seasoning. These irresistible nutritious pan-fried or baked lentil cakes are a very popular one-dish meal in Gujarati households.
Over the years, khakra has evolved a lot
Lilva Kachori Lilva kachori, a Gujarati specialty is made with a filling of pigeon, green chillies, green coriander and spices in kachori dough made of white flour. Best served with tangy chutney or sauce, this is a crunchy, tasty snack that can make the cold evenings warmer and more enjoyable.
pani puri and pav bhaji khakhras. You also get a dosa khakhra, which actually is dosa batter made into a khakhra. With the masala-isation, however, the khakhra took on an independent identity and people started relishing masala khakhras without any condiments.
Khakra One cannot ignore the most humble yet most popular Gujarati snack, basically, a roasted chapatti as crisp as a papad, it is typically made of wheat flour, a little salt and a little oil or ghee. Over the years, khakra has evolved a lot. One can find a large variety of khakhras. The mangroli khakhra, tomato khakhra, bajra khakhra, bajri-methi to even September 2017
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in focus
The maverick of
food on wheels Poor quality food has been troubling travellers in the Indian trains. In the midst of discontented stories, there has been some development of hope for travellers. TravelKhana, a startup, is striving to ensure that train passengers get to eat food of their choice especially from the restaurants of their choice.
T
ravelKhana.com is a platform to book your meals with restaurants while you travel in trains along the Indian Railways’ network. It has been enabling passengers to have their choice of food, be they traditional Indian thalis, Chinese, continental, local or Mughlai.
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The establishment took birth in January 2012 in Delhi and it was raised by Pushpinder Singh, an ITBHU and BITS-Pilani alumnus with over 15 years of experience in the software sector. TravelKhana tracks the trains in which the passengers are travelling and ensures fresh food is delivered to the passengers at one of the nearest approaching stations. All that it takes for a passenger in a train to book the meals is a call at the number provided on their website and book the meal directly through the customer care executive who
Travel Khana tracks the trains in which the passengers are travelling will take the train’s PNR number and your seat number or one can simply visit its website and download the app giving the name of the train, coach and seat number, departure and arrival stations and date of travel. The traveller can choose food from the list of menus of restaurants provided on the site, make payment online and sit back, waiting for the food to be delivered. In a country, where around 15 million people travel by train every day, the meals-on-wheels market opportunity is estimated at US$ 2 billion and TravelKhana is delivering food with extensive coverage across smaller cities and stations.
Diana Mehra The writer is the Assistant Editor of Food and Beverage Buzz Magazine and Defence and Security Alert Magazine.
With a strong vendor base of around 1,500, TravelKhana has delivered food to 1.1 million customers since its inception, including large groups such as Thomas Cook, Cox and Kings and BhartiAxa. TravelKhana generated a revenue of Rs 6.54 crore in 2014-15. It has also opened itself to expanding its base
Pushpinder Singh, an IT-BHU and BITSPilani alumnus founded TravelKhana by imbibing franchisee opportunities. Expanding the e-catering base, the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has tied up with TravelKhana.com for providing food to passengers at rail premises. Due to the tie-up, Travelkhana’s listings are available to travellers using the IRCTC’s e-catering website. Both the IRCTC and TravelKhana are working on integrating the service platforms so that the revenue sharing arrangement works as a part of the recent policy announced by the Railways.
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special
Bagheli cuisine:
Lost in translation Known as India’s white tiger stronghold, Baghelkhand (now Rewa), which means ‘the tiger’s lair’ has many culinary gems hidden in its pages. Let’s uncover them.
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Dal ki poori
T
The Baghelas carried certain food habits from Gujarat with them
he word Baghela emerged out in the 13th century with the advent of Solanki Rajput entering from Gujarat, Patan during the time of invasion by Muhammad Ghori. The Solankis made their settlement and changed their surname to Baghela in a place called Gahora (near Satna) and then later went to Bandhavgarh which became their capital till the early 17th century. Later the Baghelas shifted their capital to north of Bandhavgarh to Rewa, in the 17 century, which is close to Allahabad and Varanasi, due to trading reasons. But the story about the Natural Fort of Bandhavgarh coming to the Baghelas is rather romantically more interesting than any war tale! Bandhavgarh was earlier ruled by the Kalchuri Rajputs, named Som Dutt Kalchuri who was an 80-year-old man. He had a beautiful princess named Padmawati Kalchuri, about whose beauty Karan Deo, the young Baghela had heard and wanted a marriage alliance rather than a battle.
Maharaja Pushpraj Singh Rewa, Madhya Pradesh
On the other hand the aged father knew that a war in both possibilities
would lead to his loss, if the Baghela won, he’d be a prisoner and if he won, still his time was short. So a mock war took place lasting a few days with no casualties. Later when the old Kalchuri King sent a proposal to the young Baghela King for a marriage alliance, it was accepted at once because he too had fallen for her! While the Baghelas found a sort of permanent settlement, the very next essentiality was food! The Baghelas carried certain food habits from Gujarat with them. But they adapted the available crops grown in their new abode and made it their staple food. The central highlands of India here out are termed as the Kaimor plateau and the Vindhya range region have both black and yellow cotton soils, leading to a good variety growth of
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Baghelas adapted bits of everything locally available rice, wheat and all the types of pulses (Dal) namely chana, moong, arhar, masoor and urad. This resulted in the formulation of food and habits of this region. Also the contribution of tribals, who were earlier living there, to the food of this region cannot be ignored. The Pathans who travelled with the Baghelas too influenced their food style. The Pathani kebabs and other dishes to name a few. Therefore the Bagheli cuisine is enriched by the pulses starting from indrahahar, rickmuch, dal ki poori and usina to name a few which are varieties of dal based dishes. Then vadi and vada are again dal-based but are slightly different from the South Indian vada. I must herein also mention that this food is non spicy, but the use of garam masala (traditional spice mixture) makes it very tasty and yet keeps it simple.
Top left and bottom: Khad Ghost and Rewa Fort
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In the bread section, Baghelas adapted bits of everything locally available, the tribal of the region, the available crop (wheat and jwaar) and also channa.
The roti was like the same as they must have had back in Gujarat popularly known as phulka but the jwaar ki roti or berri with a combination like missi roti having both wheat and channa were on the thicker side. The region does not have an extensive dessert menu and sweets are only prepared occasionally. Wheat-based options include the gahun ki kheer (wheat and milk pudding) and lapsi (sweetened, thick porridge with broken wheat). The Mahua tree grows abundantly in this area and its flowers are used to sweeten a number of their preparations. Rass kheer (milk pudding sweetened with dried mahua flowers), barfi (sweetened, condensed milk flavoured with fruit and spices cut into various shapes) and a very potent local alcoholic drink called mahua ka daru are prepared using the Mahua flower. Now how can the brave Rajputs thrive without non-vegetarian. The cuisine has both mutton and chicken. Fish and also shikar gosht mainly of deer and the barking deer.
(Chiula) & the paste or masala stuffed inside. These non-vegetarian dishes are spicy!
Mutton Bandhwesh The story goes that it was Maharaja Vishwanath Singh who had a wife from Udaipur, Rajasthan along with other 11 ones and was determined to present a building with a landscape like Lake Pichola and a building like Lake Palace. He also wanted to prove an upper hand in the food section to the cuisine wonderland of Rajasthan and so he invented this dish for her, which now I’ve termed it as Mutton Bandhwesh! A poet by nature he wrote poetries for the Bagheli cuisine to impress upon his lady love!
The Maharaj of Rewa cooking the Rewa exquisites
Today as lots of people have moved out of Vindhya in search of jobs to places like Indore or Nagpur, the Bagheli cuisine has become popular even there too! So if I were to sum-up in a line I’d say it’s Food with Love!
I must name two recipes, namely Khad Gosht and Mutton Bandhwesh, which I reinvented out of the rags of an old book on cuisine which I stumbled across few years back when doing a repair of a section of the Rewa Fort.
Khad Gost Made with meat, cashews, garam masala, both grinded and roasted, curd with cream, garlic and ginger paste, salt, spices both grounded red chille and red long chille, this dish is exotic and sumptuous. It does not have any oil or ghee as it’s the fat of the meat and curd cream which does the wonders. Khud Gost: Likie the Rajasthani Khad gost this too is covered by dough but here it’s made of leaves of a tress
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quick read
Buransh
More than just a drink The Himalayan region of India is not only famous for its countryside and authentic food but it is also known for its drinks and one of them is buransh.
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Team FnB
The beautiful but also delectable buransh flowers
B
uransh is made of the local buransh (a type of rhododendron) flower found in the Himalayan region. It is also found in Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. It’s also the national flower of Nepal. It is a shrub or small tree with striking red flowers (rhododendron) grown on mountain slope hills.
The flowers have a unique taste which is sweet and at the same time, a little sour. Primarily used to make flower drink and wine, buransh is considered a divine gift and it is also useful for curing heart and liver diseases. Buransh is a delicious and appetising drink in hilly areas. It also aids to relieve mountain sickness. When the flower blooms after winter, locals consume buransh along with the rice or in the form of chutney to treat seasonal sicknesses. Buransh flower is also used to make buransh pakoras and buransh parathas.
Health benefits of buransh flower Buransh flowers have medicinal properties. According to latest researches, it has been proven that these flowers have antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial qualities.
Buransh as antiinflammatory Ayurvedic and homeopathic medicines have used buransh flower and leaves for treating inflammation, gout, bronchitis and arthritis. Its leaves are very beneficiary for relieves inflammatory diseases.
Buransh flower cures pain Rhododendron leaves have been usually used to treating the headache. The paste made its tree leaves can be applied on the forehead to relieve headache. Leaves of buransh help in
treating wounds and reducing skin inflammation. Buransh flower juice helps to treat stomach ache.
Buransh helps as an antioxidant Diverse phytochemicals have been extracted from the rhododendron flower and its leaves and these have been found to have high quantity of antioxidant properties. It helps you to get rid of the radicals in the body as buransh flower juice is beneficial as an antioxidant drink and it prevents diseases of the heart, liver, kidneys and the skin.
Buransh flower controls diabetes and treats diarrhoea If we talk about natural herbal juice, then the juice of buransh flower is definitely a help out to prevent you from diabetes. Most of the hilly people use the flower and leaves of buransh to control diabetes. In spite of this, its juice is very healthy. Buransh flowers help to treat diarrhoea also. In the ancient time, people of the Himalayan regions traditionally used buransh flower and its leaves as a home remedy for diarrhoea. For relief from diarrhoea, people use dried petal powder and the paste of dried leaves powder.
Buransh flower juice is good for heart Drinks made of natural herbs are always good for our body system. It hydrates us. Buransh drink is very effective and it is one of the healthiest drinks in Himalayan regions. Buransh juice reduces the blood pressure and it is also extremely effective against cholesterol. Various photochemical properties in the juice of buransh flower acts as antioxidants and protects the heart from oxidative stress and controls heart disorder. September 2017
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legend
Steve Borgia
Creator, Mentor and Developer
A pioneer of ‘Rural Tourism’ in India, Steve Borgia, CMD of INDeco Leisure Hotels, strongly believes in the power of an idea and divine manifestation. 68
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F
Supriya Aggarwal The writer is the Associate Editor of Food and Beverage Buzz Magazine and Defence and Security Alert Magazine.
or Steve Borgia hoteliering is a passion and a part of his creative work. He considers tourism and hotels as the best tools to empower rural folks and conserve their heritage. An avid practitioner of eco-friendly and heritage tourism, Borgia left his high paying UN job to set up the INDeco Leisure Hotels that is an epitome of eco-friendly hotels. Food and Beverage Buzz did some candid talking with the most unique CMD (read creator, mentor and developer and not chairman and managing director), below are the excerpts from the interview.
‘INDeco’ is an idea, one big idea and INDeco is by itself a message
Food and Beverage Buzz: What is the brand idea behind the inception of INDeco? Steve Borgia: ‘INDeco’ is an idea, one big idea. Like, as per the McLuhan theory, medium is the message and similarly, INDeco is by itself a message. The hotels that we have created are an answer to a mission. The mission is our message; the hotels are only our medium. In simple terms, the hotels serve as our bank or funder for all our dreams and desires. Rural India is our dream which is the back bone of this nation, the happiness quotient, peace, equal opportunity, art and culture.
FnB Buzz: I read in one of your interviews that you always wanted to be a maharaja. Can you tell something about this to our readers? Steve Borgia: Yes, the first time I said that was when I was in the fourth standard, struggling to get the 40 per cent pass mark to slip into the next standard. Whenever a visitor asked my class mates what would you love to do when you grow up, their answers were like doctor, engineer, engine driver, post man, principal, etc. but I was loud and clear that I want to be a maharaja.
Heritage temples, monuments, protection and conservation of nature, our neighbourhood, traditional practices and lifestyle, communication,
education, employment and training, flora and fauna, museums and publication policy, politics and public administration were all later realised. I am not a social worker or a guru or an India fanatic. It’s just that I love my country and I desire that the world respects it as much as it should be.
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manifest these ideas. The idea is the most critical element for me and in all my businesses. Every time there is an issue, I simply close my eyes and think deeply. I then get several ideas to solve them. It is how you energise and monetize that idea. India itself is one big idea. We only look for ideas and not really money but we end up making lots and lots of it. FnB Buzz: What are the core values that you follow in terms of hospitality at INDeco? Steve Borgia: In very simple parlance ‘home should not be the same when the guest returns’. The guest should be encountering continuously several first time experiences. It needs to be a ‘wow’ from the point of entry.
temples, palaces, feeding people, taking care of the needy, flora and fauna and finally making the world a bit more beautiful. The desire continued. FnB Buzz: What are the challenges you faced while building your properties and how did you overcome them? Steve Borgia: Absolutely none, the pangs are only to evolve the idea and then your energy takes over to manifest. INDeco hotels have neither bank loans nor competition. That’s the proof of the pudding. FnB Buzz: Do you believe in the power of an idea? Steve Borgia: That is what it is all about, the power of an idea and the power to
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Top and above: A view of the Swamimalai hotel and one of the royally decked up rooms in it
As a team, all INDecoites persevere until perfection is achieved in all guest deliveries
We believe in the eternal Indian core value of atithi devo bhava (guest is god). Perseverance is the only route for absolute success. As a team, all INDecoites persevere until perfection is achieved in all guest deliveries. When we started these hotels, we sold shelter and food, offering several first time experiences. We then moved to selling peace and happiness and now we sell simple joy in beautiful bundles. FnB Buzz: What made you leave your job at the UNICEF and come back to India? Steve Borgia: A maharaja can never live in another country. He can only be in exile (laughs). India is a big part of my idea, my product. I belong here but I must admit, I learnt to love India only when I was away. The French taught me to love my country. I went there to imbibe technologies to work for my country. And there is so much to do. I wouldn’t leave this country for anything in the world. FnB Buzz: What is your definition of rural tourism and what made you start this concept in India?
A traditional Indian thali at the INDeco hotels Steve Borgia: Rural tourism is to practise low impact, educational, ecological and culturally sensitive tourism that offers livelihood benefits to local communities in rural areas with what they know, what they do and what they have. The damage that we have done to rural people, place and property is enormous and almost irreversible. Good farmlands have given way to non-farming purposes. We have damaged their ecosystem, broken their food chain and run over their ecological niche. I designed rural tourism as a survival programme way back in 90s with no investment, no start up strategies, no social work, no banks, no borrowings, no experts but goodness. FnB Buzz: What, according to you, is the need of the hour in the hospitality industry? Steve Borgia: We really need new ideas and a new thought process. India speaks in about 2000 languages and write in about 50. We taught the world how to count and also flew the first airmail in the world. We are one of the oldest civilisations of the world. Benares is older than history itself. We are the whole world in a country, so what do we have to
fear about. We now need to position India in new dimensions offering the authentic Indian experiences. FnB Buzz: What message would you like to give to the youth? Steve Borgia: If at all I am proud of something in India, it is the youth. They are very responsible and caring for the country. I would like to say just one thing, if something hits you, go for it and it will be yours. Perseverance is the sure route to success. FnB Buzz: You wear several hats and you are building palaces, renovating temples, organic farming. You are also a village head, painter, cartoonist, writer of books, president of the ecotourism society, vice president of the Indian Heritage Hoteliers Association, advisor to the Archaeological and UNESCO matters, and many more apart from being a family man and the parent but which is your most preferred hat? Steve Borgia: I wear them all to meet a need and there is so much to do in each area. I am very passionate about everything that connects with me. Yes, I wear several hats. I love them all but I cherish the ‘dad’ one the most, that’s mine and mine alone.
(As seen above) Vintage fan at INDeco for tourists’ amusement and the sights at the INDeco hotels with a platter of their delectable food
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know your F&B
India’s Unique
Temple Foods India is the land of gods. We are blessed by the myriad of powers that govern this universe. Great temple architectures and their famous unique prasads (or food offerings to the gods) have pulled people from diverse faiths to come and enjoy the solemnity of Hindu temples and their prasads. Every deity is offered a special prasad and these offerings become an insignia for the temples. Here are some of the unique temple prasads of India.
Vaishno Devi, Jammu The famous temple offers food to the pilgrims which consist of the steaming rajma chawal, kadi chawal, poori chana. All the food cooked by the shrine board is without onion or garlic. You can take home packets that consist of puffed rice, sweet sugar balls, dried apples, dried coconut slivers and walnuts.
Tirupati Balaji, Andhra Pradesh The famous temple offers a glimpse of the eight feet tall idolto its devotees and the devotees also get to have the very famous laddoo which is distributed as prasad. The prasad is given to the pilgrims at no charge and it consists of daddojanam (curdrice), puliogare (tamarind rice), vada and chakkara pongal (sweet pongal), miryala pongal, appam, paayasam, jalebi, muruku, dosai, seera (kesari halwa) and malhora.
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Jagannath Temple, Orissa They call it Mahaprasad in Oriya, and the one at the Jagannath Temple in Puri consists of up to 56 different types of cooked and uncooked items. The food is steamed in traditional earthenware. Though each and every dish has a unique flavour, don’t miss the payas, gajja(dry prasad), kheera (rabri with paneer), kanika (sweet rice) and abhoda (rice- dal- sabzi).
Golden Temple, Amritsar Also known as the Harmandir Sahib, millions of people flock to the Golden Temple in Amritsar every year and they are all fed sitting next to one another at the langar. The food is purely vegetarian but they do include onions and garlic. In the winter, they also serve sarson ka saag along with the usual fare of dal and rice.
Azhagai Kovil, Tamil Nadu Pronounced Azhagai, Azhagar or Alagar, the temple is situated about 21 km from Madurai and farmers from around the area bring their rice and pulses to offer to the deity. The rice and pulses are then ground to make dosas for all the devotees.
Karni Mata Mandir, Bikaner The Karni Mata Mandir in Bikaner is famous for its rats! Yes, as rats move around freely within the temple and the temple complex, the prasad here is offered first to these rodents and then given to the devotees. Apparently, the prasad contains rat saliva which will bring good luck to the devotees.
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News
Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo Set to Introduce a New Norton Pereira is the new General Manager, Le Méridien Goa, Calangute
Level of Luxury in Sri Lanka
Norton Pereira has been appointed as the General Manager of Le Méridien Goa, Calangute. Prior to joining Le Méridien Goa, Calangute he was the General Manager at Le Méridien, Mahabaleshwar. In his new role, Norton will be responsible for overall hotel performance, managing operating efficiencies, business growth and driving overall guest satisfaction.
Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo is set to open later this
With more than 19 years of experience in the hospitality industry, he has successfully handled hotels in varying capacities. Norton brings a wealth of experience in handling leisure destinations and resort properties like Udaipur, Mahabaleshwar and Goa.
Lanka in nearly 30 years.
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts announced that year in December 2017 and the hotel will begin taking bookings from September 2017. Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo will be the second property in Sri Lanka for the luxury Asian hospitality group – joining ShangriLa’s Hambantota Golf Resort & Spa and is anticipated to be one of the most prominent hotel launches in Sri
Located at One Galle Face along the Galle Face Green promenade, which is the most exclusive address in Colombo, Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo will offer uninterrupted Indian Ocean views in most of its 500 guestrooms and suites and 41 serviced apartments.
Kumar Shobhan is now General Manager, Hyatt Regency Lucknow Kumar Shobhan has been appointed the General Manager of Hyatt Regency Lucknow. Shobhan has spent more than 17 years in the hospitality industry. A people-centric professional, Shobhan has acquired a deep knowledge of diverse aspects of hotel management and has gained experience in dealing with different cultural backgrounds while working in the UAE (Dubai), and across India.
The hotel sits on 10 acres of land that will also soon accommodate an office tower, two residential buildings and a high-end shopping mall, bringing a new level of luxury to the thriving, metropolitan city of Colombo. The hotel is a 40-minute drive from the Colombo Bandaranaike International Airport. Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo will allow travellers who are beginning their Sri Lankan holidays or in town for meetings to experience a mix of Shangri-La’s Asian elegance and a contemporary style inspired by the country’s abundant nature and incredible beauty. In connecting this concept, the hotel commissioned celebrated Chinese artist Man Fung-Yi to create a life-sized infant elephant metal sculpture to grace
Shobhan started his career in August 2000 as a Food & Beverage associate at Hyatt Regency Delhi.
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the hotel’s lobby and give a sense of place through an exciting blend of modernity and Sri Lanka’s nature.
Listings
Shakahari at JW Marriott Pune unveils new Gujarati menu Shakahari, JW Marriott Pune’s specialty vegetarian restaurant, has introduced new culinary favourites from across India to their existing menu, by unveiling the addition of a lavish spread of authentic and popular Gujarati dishes. Curated by Maharaj Jai Kishen, this menu will have guests enjoy handcrafted dishes laden with traditional Gujarati charm.
Paradise, the ‘World’s Favourite Biryani’ enters North India. Opens its first outlet at Gurugram. Gurugram opened its doors to Paradise, a six-decade-old legacy restaurant brand that has gained worldwide acceptance from celebrities and the common man alike. Citizens in Gurugram now will have easy access to savour asli Hyderabadi Biryani This will be Paradise’s 22nd outlet nationally and the 1st in North India. This milestone store is located at Raheja Mall on Sohna Road. While the formal Dine in is situated on the 1st floor, a quick service format and a full-fledged takeaway is located on the upper ground floor. The outlet has a total seating capacity of 130. Paradise also offers Delivery through its online partners. The opening of Paradise at Gurugram is an effort to present the authentic Hyderabadi Biryani whether one is a die-hard Biryani fan or a prospective one. Paradise is open from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm all 7 days of the week.
The new Gujarati menu will offer an array of traditional dishes which will showcase the various flavours and spices of the land. Be it appetisers such as Sandwich Dhokla and Handvo, the flavoursome Undhiyu, the lightly spiced and sweetened Gujarati Kadhi or the Methi Thepla made from fresh handpicked fenugreek leaves, the new menu weaves together the culinary threads from different regions of the state to create a complete Gujarati gastronomic experience. For enquiries, please call: 020 6683 3333 or visit www.jwpune.com
Armani Hotel Milano launches honeymoon package in Milan Armani Hotel Milano, the luxury contemporary hotel set right in the center of Milan’s fashion district, launches its romantic Honeymoon Package to celebrate the romantic moments in life of all couples. The package includes accommodation at the Armani Deluxe Room with American breakfast served in the room, a bottle of champagne in your room at your arrival, one romantic dinner in the exclusive and panoramic Armani/Ristorante, with floral tribute, one luxurious couples treatment (80 minutes) at the Armani/ SPA Couple Suite and access to the relaxation area and SPA facilities, complimentary room upgrade to the superior room category (subject to availability) and complimentary late check-out (upon availability); subject to terms and conditions. For information and resevations, please contact +39 02 8883 8381 or milan@armanihotels.com
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