One of the best salads which I have ever had happyned at Deval’s house here in Suva, Fiji. Ashika is an expert on this and she re-made it for me again with the same glorious taste as before.

The ingredients

• 2 Carrots
• 1 Capsicum
• 2 Tomatoes
• 1/4 kg Pumpkin
• Other seasonal veggies
• Lettuce
• Garlic (optional) – freshly grated or powdered
• 2 Cheese cubes
• Herbs
• Rock salt

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Stir fry always attracted me but was a complete disaster whenever I indulged to cook it since the veggies would become soggy and gooey. The dream of learning it under a professional umbrella came true at Suva. The refresher course became my answer to the Stir Fry. Freeman is a Chinese staying in Fiji, and relishes cooking the way Indians derive their share of contentment from cricket. We became friends instantly and booked our appointments with each other to learn and teach.

Stir fry is a nonpareil technique where the texture and taste of the veggies is retained by quick sauteing over high heat and steam. Something to learn and master, to taste those veggies individually yet together.

Make sure all the ingredients are cut thinly and in your favorite shapes. We used tofu, carrots, brocolli, baby corn and chinese sprouts (The full green moong allowed to sprout for 3 days in a muslin cloth and washed 3 times in a day)

The Chinese Wok and the hig-flame burner are the breath to the life of the Chinese Stir fry. Pour in 4 tbspoons of oil and chuck in 2 flakes of garlic, a small pod of ginger and 3 green chillies slit vertically. Let them fry nicely on high flame. When done, add the veggies (carrots, beans, baby corn get in first) then the cabbage.

Remember to keep stirring (the reason why it is called stir fry since you cannot leave it, you got to be with it, cradling it, it needs your presence) on high flame and when you notice any veggies getting done, just get them to the sides of the wok, where the heat is lower. Freeman kept stirring them for approximately 8-10 minutes. But the secret tip here is that when the wok became very hot, he would sprinkle 2-3 tbsps of water and allow the steam to evaporate in which the veggies were getting cooked. He did this a couple of times until the veggies quenched their thirst with half a cup of water. He was very sure of the crunchiness he wanted, but i could have finished it in 7 minutes as I like my veggies pleasantly crisp and firm.

The light soy sauce entered in 1 tbspoon was the next to the doors of the divine territory and you could add some more sauces if you wish. He added 2 tbspoon of another Chinese sauce(you could use Oyster sauce - vegetarian obviously ), in went the deep fried tofu and sprouts and the smell of the veggies announced the arrival of the stir fry. It took only 2 more minutes for the tofu and the sprouts and the sauces to amalgamate. The high flame was now finally extinguished. The crunchiness, the colour, the aromatic smell and the taste all added to make the Freeman Show compulsory and a sure repeat.

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Introducing a pioneering venture, with pumpkin as its pillar and yoghurt as the base. An effortless endeavor which was enjoyed by Viru and Vijeta, the mithai-sweet charming couple from Suwon. We had to steal some away from Vijeta, just for the right picture

100 gms Orange Pumpkin, cut in diced cubes with the skin and boiled/steamed till tender giving scrupulous attention to detail in this step.

1/2 cucumber cut in thin matchstick slices

1/2 tomato finely diced

1 chilli very finely cut

2 tbps of yoghurt

1 tbsp of fresh cream

1 teaspoon of mustard seeds

Marry the veggies tossing them together. Make sure that the pumpkin is not very tender to get trampled upon. They should be just done, to stick tall in a fork. Add the yoghurt and the cream. In a pan, take 1 tablespoon olive oil and throw in the mustard seeds, feel the flutter.

Combat yourself against the charm to consume it all. Remember the doctrine of sharing. Serve Chilled.

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The main cast includes :- 50 gms roasted peanuts, a capsule of ginger, 2 pods of garlic, 3-4 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp honey, 1 lemon, 1/4 cup water, freshly ground pepper, 200 gms broccolli, 1 big carrot and 200 gms tofu.

In a tablespoon of olive oil, toss in diced ginger and garlic, allow it to shiver in the oil, until golden brown. Drop the tofu cubes in the oil and give it a nice bath. Give it the time to turn golden brown, consistently tossing it all sides. When done, remove them separately. If there is leftover oil in the pan, add the slivered carrots and don’t allow them to lame. Let them be crispy and fresh, this takes about 3 minutes on medium flame or less. Then in the same pan add another tablespoon of oil and roll in florets of broccoli. Make sure they do not become mushy, and remain crunchy and alive. Do not cover the vessel, exhibit some patience, it takes about 7 minutes to be done. Just look at the burst of that verdant nature’s beauty, admire it, wait till you have tasted it.

The sauce/dressing is mainly peanuty and I love roasted peanuts, by now you would have known looking at the Kitchen tour in here. Grind the peanuts, add the water, add 1 tbsp honey, juice of one full lemon, salt to taste and freshly ground pepper adds panache to this dashing dressing.

Give a nice little bath to the veggies with this dressing and allow the tastes enter the interiors of the members, give it some bench time.

And word on the street is, it’s delicious cold the next day, eaten with a fork straight out of the fridge.

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These were rolled out after the melodic verses of the Guru Puja invoking ethereal beauty at Sneha’s house and I rolled in three of them in no time, while I wow’ed at them, I vowed to share it with all of you.

6 leaves of lettuce

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

3 tbsp of Plum sauce (Available at all major stores)

1 tbsp of schezwan sauce

100 gms of steamed corn

Remove layers of this daisy plant(lettuce) one by one and keep them aside. Chop the peppers finely, toss in the corn, add salt and pepper to taste. (If you like corn, add more, I love my peppers so I kept it passionately peppery). Cushion in a table spoon of these veggies into the center of the lettuce leaf, add a teaspoon of plum sauce and ¼ spoon of schezwan sauce. The plum gives it a tangy taste and the schewan puts it on fire, so do some permutations and combinations before you settle for that correct equation.

Seal with a toothpick, unseal the senses and dig into these love lettuces.

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The gloriously exhuberant restaurant which means haute couture in Engish is located in Priya Mall is three-storied and has been my long time favorite in Delhi. The floridly charming interiors wear a fine Italian look and the ambience for long has been a visually and intimately stunning destination for the hungry soul. Every time I visit this boroque styled restaurant it feels lovingly legendary.

The live one-man-band rolls out memorable oldies, digging from long time hits of Queen, George Micheal and Bryan Adams. The third floor corner table centered with a candlelight is enchantingly elegant and my chosen-one.

For the tongue, there is the delicious Italian food served by the well-dressed waiters who help with everything that you don’t understand. They have a small menu to choose from and I sincerely like it, as I have tasted all the vegetarian edible dishes here. I start with an emeraldly green drink named ‘Lost in the Forest’, overstated with mint and Indian basil (tulsi), every sip of which finds you hungrier. We proceeded into the deeply tasty artichoke spinach dip, the visually stunning very very veggie pizza, the medley of vegetables which had the white sauce subtlely shored up with saffron and cinammon and finally the farfalle in arabiatta sauce. The food is an intricate workmanship masterminding a carte du jour with flavour and subtleness. Am whetting your appetite

The company was wonderful with Siddharth, Sakshi and Shruti and we re-lived a lot of lost wonderful memories, palate full of Guru stories on a Sunday evening which was a perfect setting for recalling those graceful, loving moments, at Sartoria. One more beautiful day to be grate-full

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Surely not one of my favorites in the food world, but these ladyfinger’s turned out highly attractive and delectable and took a special place in the memory fragments.

The fulfilling experience starts with

1 tbsp coriander powder

½ tsp garam masala

2 tbsp roasted peanut powder (heat the peanut sof low flame and when deliciously brown, blow away the outer covering and grind into a granular powder.

A pinch of turmeric powder

Pinch of salt

½ tsp dry mango (Aamchur) Powder

Coconut powder can also be added, though I didn’t, but I know it binds the masala inside and gives it that fresh, sweet taste in every bite.

Slit the Okra, check for any unfamiliar, unfriendly fragments inside and keep them aside. Fill the above filling into the okra. Now grease a baking plate with olive oil and turn the oven temperature to 180 C. Roll the okra in the greasing plate so that it is evenly covered with oil on all its circumference. Bake this celestial bodies for 20-25 minutes at the same temperature and the check is, that they will be really crispy.

If you find them very hard then you haven’t brushed enough oil on them and if soft, then just keep them for 2-3 minutes more.

Its ready, now what you do is chant your prayers in Sanskrit and bite into these crispy, crunchy, curvy, celestial okra.

Heavenly with hot daal chawal !!

PS :- The picture has been taken by me with Bhavin’s help with my new gadget, the Canon 500D. It is potent with features and charismatic with its capability. A debonair deal !!

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A Sindhi morning breakfast which delivers its superior taste instantly in its first morsel. The idea is to have some leftover chapatti’s after dinner and transform them into a lip smacking recipe. I used to wait for this in the morning the moment I knew mom has saved over some chapattis over the night.

Well we have never tried out this recipe with freshly rolled out chapattis. If you do, do let me know.

5-8 left over chapattis cut in medium fragments/slices

3 tomatoes

1 blob of garlic

2 green chillies ( More if you like it hot, the chapattis neutralize its hotness)

7-8 curry leaves

Small piece of ginger

Mustard Seeds

The first step is to grind together the tomatoes, ginger, garlic, curry leaves and chillies into a watery paste. Bathe a pan/kadai with 2 tbsp of oil, showering it with 1 tsp of mustard seeds. Let the mustard drizzle. Pour the red liquid from the mixer into this, add some salt and close it with a lid. Let the aroma fill and allow it to cook for 4-5 minutes. Now be totally armed with an oar shaped spoon, add the chapattis and wipe away all the tomatoey liquid from the kadai, evenly over the chapattis. Keep mingling them with the spoon. Be light while mixing so that it doesn’t become a pudding. Close your eyes, take a breath in and Enjoy!!

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This recipe was unearthed when we found lots of paneer in the fridge and the mango season in full swing in Mumbai. It was licked off till the Pash was a thing of the past totally. Fingers almost swallowed, we settled down to thank Gods Creation. Mango!!

300 gms Paneer

4 alphonso Mangoes ( cut in fine pieces or just grinded on low speed in the grinder for 5 seconds)

Finely Powdered 2-3 tbsps of sugar. (More if you like it very sweet)

Elaichi Powder optional (I didn’t add this at all)

Run your hands through the solid paneer to make it gooey, till it is properly thumped into a paste. Add the mango paste, the sugar and finally elaichi if you wish. Mix thoroughly. Gulp down the copious secretion of saliva in the mouth Serve chilled.

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I think I have stopped communication with my stomach though it sends so many correspondences all the time. The dealing have been direct with my tongue for the past 2 days The morning was lazy in Bangalore but the misty smell of the earth combined with a soft haze from the Sun God and the newness of the trees added to the glory, rendering the atmosphere seem perfect for a hot crispy dosa breakfast.
A very typical dosa made with all different daals in the right quantity, overpowered by ginger and coconut is called addhai. The veritable taste buds become alive just to the whiff of this dosa I demanded Aunty to grind chutney in the stone mixer for me, only me The request was adhered to immediately and she threw in some grated coconut, coriander leaves, chillies and daal. The production started in no-time and Aunty quickly took over her directorial debut leading and guiding the actors, smashing, hitting them to produce a succulent taste.

It looked very easy while she was quickly yet firmly rolling the stone over them with her left hand, while the right being used to mix them. Taking the inspiration, I quickly conquered the method with my eyes and started implementing it. I had to believe in what-you-see-is-not-is constitution. It was an arduous task involving my forearm and shoulder muscles to emotional wrath. Though I didn’t allow them to see my plight, I withdrew. I licked my fingers till the bottom and the taste was resplendent with the earthly aroma. Aunty took over the governance adjusting her knee to take position, chatted with me and stoned out the best Chatknee of my life.

PS:- Will be doing the Yes+ advance course from tomorrow, so will meet all you blog friends on Tuesday. When we get back, the blog would have been hit more than 10k times in the blogosphere.

If you did not make it to this advance course, there’s another one with Guruji on 3rd June. Make it happen for you.

The pasta I had at Sqisito is  the first one in their menu list under pasta items, as many of you asked. If you Pune’ites visit them, do let me know the name of it.

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When I had booked my tickets from Indore to Pune, I thought a halt at Pune for 6 odd hours would mean staying at the airport and reading a novel cover to cover. But providence had other plans. I took an appointment at the slush, serene and splendid Spa, The Four Fountain Spa at Koregaon Park. Entered the over Indulgence zone with the lavender aroma over-filling the room, pampering, detoxifying myself with the Indian Body Polish massage. The masseur movements were long, full of control, quick yet precise and I cradled to such an extent that I even dozed off for a few seconds. Though am not a spa junkie, but I enjoy my time at this spa and like to be cosseted by them. A novel experience of being completely new minus the dead skin. Ahhhhh….

Though Prabha and I decided to have Punjabi food, but our taste buds led us to a Italian restaurant named Squisito just opposite the spa. The al dente penne in spinach sauce was simply yummy to tingle your senses. The sauce was just the right consistency and taste was so light, as if spinach had just married and divorced at the same time. The penne affair was not very creamy, to keep you protected from those extra inches Next the bruschetta, though miser on cheese, but was a great antipasto. The bread was crispy and I loaded it with extra olive oil. The Sufi Pizza was our next involvement. A very mild tomato sauce decorated the zero size crispy thickness of this pizza, ornamented with mozzarella and artichoke, while the same treatment was meted out to the olive oil, the main menu was satisfyingly tasty. The penultimate chapter in this quest was the chocolate box dessert and the brownie dripping with chocolate sauce, while I write this from the Pune airport, turning my break into a Spa-meal day.

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